Meant for One Another
by Eva Unit-U
Summary: Inspired by DigitalGod's Everything You Want Music Video, Asuka realizes just what Shinji is to her. But she must first confront memories from her past and her habit of not letting others into her heart. Back in production after three years, wow
1. Volcano Rescue

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Hey there! I was listening to a music video by DigitalGod called "Everything you Want" and was inspired to write this fic, so first of all I must congratulate him on making a good Music Video. Now enjoy.  
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I do I'll let you know.  
  
Asuka stared at the cable that was all that kept her Eva from sinking into the abyss of lava below. The Angel had been vanquished but it had tore her line in the process. Her Eva's D-type armor suit was beginning to crumple and rupture, if the pressure didn't get her before the line broke then she had a long ways down towards the bottom. As line was slowly stretching and breaking apart, she thought.  
  
'Is this truly the end?'  
  
It snapped and her Type-D Eva began to sink. As she watched the surface of the volcano get farther and farther her Eva shook. She looked up to see Eva-01, one hand gripping the side of the volcano mouth, another holding on to her Eva. Unit-01's eyes narrowed, it was not wearing any protecting equipment like her Eva was and Asuka could see that the lava was really hurting Shinji. She smiled, not the arrogant one she usually wore but one of genuine friendship.  
  
"Baka, he actually cares…"  
  
Shinji Ikari was right on the edge of the mouth to the volcano just having thrown Asuka a spare progressive knife. He had seen the angel destroyed with Asuka's little thermal expansion plan. But he noticed that Asuka's cable was damaged.  
  
"Misato! Eva-02's lifeline has been torn in half! Pull her up now!" he yelled in the com-link.  
  
"Shinji, we can't! The line can't handle the weight in its current condition!" the major responded.  
  
The line snapped and Eva-02 started to drift farther and farther from the entrance.  
  
"Asuka!" Shinji gasped and plunged into the lava pit without much regard for himself.  
  
"Shinji! What the hell are you doing!?" Misato yelled.  
  
Ritsuko groaned at the thought of replacing Eva-01's armor when they got back.  
  
"You gonna roast him?" Akagi asked the major.  
  
"Likely." She replied.  
  
"I will for sure…" the Doctor said.  
  
Afterwards Misato Katsurigi, their commanding officer and guardian treated them to a vacation in the hot springs. In the end she had only scolded Shinji a little but congratulated him on saving Asuka and Unit-02. The three Nerv members went inside the old-fashioned two-story building. Shinji was the last one in but before he could close the front door a package arrived from Kaji.  
  
"What would he send?" Shinji wondered.  
  
Out of the box came a penguin eager for some time in the springs.  
  
As Asuka came out into a central area from the girl's side of the locker she bumped into Shinji coming from the boy's. Luckily, they both had towels wrapped around them so Shinji was spared a nosebleed from the sight and a kick to the crotch from Asuka.  
  
"Gomen!" Shinji said as he realized what happened.  
  
Asuka glared at him but her face twitched as if she was fighting a war inside herself. After a moment she seemed to have settle on something and took a breath.   
  
"Shinji, about today. Thank you." She said finally.  
  
Shinji stared at her, then put a hand on her forehead.   
  
"No fever…are you ok Asuka?"  
  
Asuka smacked him on the back of the head.  
  
"Baka! The great Asuka Langley Sorhyu just thanked you! But don't expect it too often!" with that she stormed away past the bamboo divider to join Misato in the girl's spring.   
  
Shinji looked at the way she went for a second before deciding that he didn't want to be accused of being a peeking hentai and went to his side with Pen-Pen. He soaked in the warm water and watched the warm water penguin swim around the pool. He heard Misato and Asuka's voices and looked at the wall of bamboo. As he thought about his encounter earlier with Asuka it brought a smile to his lips.  
  
A/N: As always, authors love reviews. Next chapter should be up in a few days, check back often. Also available is my other story "Evangelion, Children of Humanity: Guardian Angel". Just check out my profile to find it. Later. - 


	2. A Bad Start

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Chapter 2 is here, as I promised. Anyway, I updated these chapters upon request that I add detail. Thanks to "The Shadows" for that review and I hope that you can point out any problems in the future. And I will use all kinds of POVs in this story but I will for the most part stick with Asuka's POV and Shinji's POV.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I do I'll let you know.  
  
A week after that incident, Shinji Ikari woke up early so he could do the laundry before he and Asuka had to go to school. He dressed and left his room, picked up the basket of old clothes from the bathroom, then went past the kitchen and into the laundry area. He began running the wash, trying not to think about the rather personal items that Asuka and Misato had him wash. Shinji took out the garments one by one and dumped them in, careful not to mix colors. He would be doing two loads today. As the first load began, he went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for his three roommates. At this time Pen-Pen stuck his head out of his fridge.  
  
"Wark!"  
  
"Ok Pen-Pen, you first." Shinji said laughing.  
  
Shinji dug out a can of sardines, he opened the can and rinsed the fishes then add a little salt. This he placed on a plate and offered it to the little penguin. Pen-Pen gave a wark as a thank you, grabbing a beer from Misato's fridge, he went back inside his own. Shinji now turned to the task of making breakfast for his human roommates. He placed a pot of water on the stove for the soup and took out a few eggs to fry.   
  
The smell of food cooking woke the two women from their sleep. Misato dragged herself out of bed and limped into the kitchen, clad in only minimum amounts of clothing. Shinji was glad that neither Toji nor Kensuke was here at the moment.  
  
"Morning Shinji-kun…" she said and yawned.  
  
"Good morning Misato-san." Shinji greeted and placed a plate of toast and eggs, a bowl of Miso soup, and a Yebisu beer on the table.  
  
"Thanks Shinji!" Misato said and popped the top of her morning can of beer.  
  
"YAAAA!! HOOOO!!!" she yelled.  
  
Asuka came out, showered and fully dressed in her uniform.   
  
"Morning baka, morning drunk."   
  
Shinji and Misato stared at her.  
  
(A/N: For a picture of this go to pic 1 )  
  
"What's wrong with you today?" Misato asked angrily, her right eye twitching.   
  
Asuka said nothing and sat down at the table. Shinji knew that they were in the 'danger zone' and said nothing. He placed breakfast in front of Asuka and went to check on the laundry. Misato asked Asuka what was wrong again but the red head kept silent. Misato was going to demand that she spill it out but Shinji came in.  
  
"Misato, how come you have almost nothing except underwear in the laundry this week?" Shinji asked, blushing a little.  
  
Misato couldn't resist this opportunity at teasing the young pilot.  
  
"Why Shinji! Do you pay THAT close attention to what we put in the wash? You little hentai." Misato purred.  
  
Asuka chocked on her toast.   
  
"HE WHAT!?"   
  
She turned in her chair to face the stuttering Shinji, "YOU GO THROUGH OUR DIRTY LAUNDRY!?" she yelled getting out of her chair.  
  
Shinji was too scared and sank to the floor, Asuka advanced on him clenching her fist. Misato had to save Shinji from a painful death so she thought of something quickly.  
  
"Err….Asuka! He always does the laundry around here. And since you came he's been doing yours also!"   
  
Asuka stopped and turned her head. "I'd never let this pervert wash my clothes! He'd probably have fun with my undergarments while he's doing that!"  
  
Misato slapped her across the cheek. "Why you little! You know Shinji isn't like that!" Misato raged. "Apologize to him right now!"   
  
Asuka stumbled and looked from her guardian in front of her to her roommate on the floor.   
  
"Verdammen Sie Sie zwei!" Grabbing her bag she bolted out the door.  
  
Misato sighed. "That girl…Kaji spoiled her I'll bet…Oh! Are you alright Shinji?" she said remembering her other charge on the floor.  
  
"Yeah…I'll be fine…" he groaned and struggled up.  
  
"I'm sorry for starting this…oh and for your earlier question, I had Mokoto take some of my jackets and skirts to the coin laundry since he was going there with the other bridge operators." Misato said.  
  
"Oh, I see." Shinji said rubbing his back. "I'd better go. See you later Misato."  
  
He took the lunches he had prepared while making breakfast and dashed out the door.  
  
"Good luck in school Shinji!" she called out.  
  
Shinji ran to catch up with Asuka, 'Wonder what's wrong with her?' he thought 'Might be that time of the month again…'  
  
Shinji spotted someone with red-hair and two red hair clips walking towards the school gates.   
  
"Asuka!" he yelled.  
  
She turned. "What do you want!?"  
  
Shinji held out one of the bags.   
  
"Just giving you your lunch, you left in a hurry."  
  
Asuka took the bag and walked off to the classroom without another word. Shinji looked sadly after her.   
  
'Does she hate me?' he wondered.  
  
"I don't see why you bother Shinji, she obviously doesn't care what you do for her." A voice said.  
  
Shinji turned and saw his friend Toji coming up to him.  
  
"Huh?"   
  
Toji sighed. "Has she ever thanked you for all the trouble you go through for her?"  
  
"Yes." Shinji said.  
  
Toji blinked. "You're serious?"  
  
Shinji nodded. "A week ago, after our last battle."  
  
Toji scratched behind his head, "Well, just that once huh?"  
  
"Yeah…"   
  
Toji saw his friend look sadder and tried to take his mind off that German girl.   
  
"Listen uh Shinji, I think Kensuke's got his hands on some more uh…'entertaining' magazines! Let's go find him!" Toji grabbed his friend by the collar and dragged him through the front playground towards the classroom.  
  
Inside, Asuka sat at her desk staring at the brown paper bag Shinji gave her.   
  
'Why do I act this way?' she thought. Then her outer-self, the Asuka others see answered.   
  
'You don't need that baka!'   
  
But the little girl that was always a part of her also had something to say.   
  
'You always feared that they would leave you when they got too close to you, why?' the seven year old Asuka asked.  
  
'I…' Asuke couldn't think of a rely.  
  
'Is it because you know they will be disgusted by the scared little girl you have inside you?' The little Asuka continued.  
  
'NO!'  
  
'Then it is because you are not good enough for him?'  
  
'NO! VERDAMMEN SIE ES! SHUT UP!! I don't need anyone! I'm fine by myself! Always has been always will be!'  
  
'Liar.' The little girl said.  
  
"Asuka?"  
  
Asuka's head snapped up. "Huh? Oh hi Hikari."  
  
The brown haired class-rep stared at her friend, "Is something wrong?"  
  
"No! Why do people always think that something is wrong with me!?" Asuka snapped at her friend.  
  
"Err…ok. I'll see you at lunch then I guess." Hikari said, going off to find Toji so she could give him his lunch.  
  
Asuka however, was not ok. Since a few days ago her mind has been troubled by dreams, or whatever they were like a few minutes ago. She has been on edge from her lack of sleep and is not really herself.  
  
'Great, now I own Shinji AND Hikari an apology…' she thought.  
  
Toji came in the classroom dragging Shinji with him. They hooked up with the bespectacled stooge in the back and began a private discussion. Asuka wondered what they could be talking about for a second then decide she didn't even want to know. The sensei came in soon and everyone greeted him as ordered by the class-rep. He began his boring lecture and the students did what they do everyday. Play with their laptops and chat online. Asuka received more annoying messages from boys asking for dates and she deleted them as usual.   
  
Shinji glanced around the room, he saw Toji and Hikari stealing glances at each other, he saw Kensuke typing furiously on his laptop, he saw Rei staring out the window. He turned to look at Asuka's direction and saw her looking at him. She quickly turned away when their eyes met. Shinji continued looking at her for a second before turning back to his computer at a beep that indicated a message from Kensuke.  
  
A/N: As always, authors love reviews. For all the Rei fans out there I must apologize, she is NOT going to be a major character in this story and appearances will be in small amounts. Next chapter should be up in a few days, check back often. Also available is my other story "Evangelion, Children of Humanity: Guardian Angel". Just check out my profile to find it. Later. - 


	3. Nerv Blackout

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Chapter 3 is here, knock yourself out. And if the format is bad, then I'm sorry. The uploading processes takes out all my paragraphs for some reason (sigh) well, if you don't understand anything you could always ask me via the review system.  
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I do I'll let you know.  
  
As the school day ended, the three Eva pilots walked to Nerv together. Asuka and Rei were bickering again. Or rather Asuka was, Rei just ignored her. And Asuka soon hit Shinji for not taking her side in some argument the girls had. (A/N: For a picture go ) As they walked down the street leading to one of Nerv's many entrances. They went inside a building and went past the false wall. They came before a large room with nine gates. Asuka swiped her card through the reader next to gate five but nothing happened.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Rei tried, nothing. Shinji took his try but the door wouldn't budge.  
  
"Mein Gott! What the hell is happening here!?" Asuka screamed stamping her feet.  
  
Misato had gone into Nerv right after Shinji left for school and was just taking some documents to Ritsuko. As the elevator she was trying to catch started to close she sprinted.  
  
"WAIT!" she yelled.  
  
She made it in just before it closes fully. As she catches her breath she spots her fellow rider. It was none other than Nerv's own unshaven lady-killer, Agent Ryoji Kaji. The major scowled. Kaji however smiled his famous smile.  
  
"Hey Katsurigi! You'll look like you're in a bad mood, things not going your way?"  
  
"They were until you showed up…" she said through gritted teeth.  
  
Before anyone could say anything else the elevator rumbled and stopped. The lights dimmed, leaving only the eerie red glow of the emergency lights.   
  
"A power failure?" Kaji said.  
  
"If it is the back up generators should come online any second." Misato said confidently.  
  
They didn't.  
  
"Maybe Akagi screwed up an experiment." Kaji said, still very calm.  
  
In the lab, they were preparing another activation test for Eva-01 when everything shut down. The whole room looked at Dr. Akagi.  
  
"What? I didn't do anything!" she said indignantly.   
  
In the control room  
  
Shigeru "No. The Standby circuit isn't operating."  
  
Kozo "That can't be. How are the operating circuits?"  
  
Female staff: "1.2 percent in all. Only 9 circuits from No. 2567."  
  
Kozo "Use all operational power supplies to maintain Magi and Central Dogma."  
  
Shigeru "But that will interfere with life-support in the entire building."  
  
Kozo "That's fine. This is a top priority issue."  
  
Crewmembers force open a door for the Doctor and her assistant.  
  
"We have to hurry to the control center. I can't believe that the power supply has not yet been restored." She said to Maya.  
  
Gendo is in his usual place in the command center, he and Fuyuzuki are discussing the power outage..  
  
"We have to believe that the breakers were activated by someone rather than them working correctly." Gendo said.  
  
"No matter what caused it, we'll be in serious trouble if an Angel appears at a time like this." The older man responded.  
  
(A/N: For a picture of this go to- Pic 2)  
  
Meanwhile, the U.N.'s office has detected an object approaching Tokyo-Three. Their people are trying to raise Nerv on the phone repeatedly but to no avail.  
  
Back at Nerv the three pilots tried every door leading to Nerv that they could find. None of them worked.  
  
"Hmm... This doesn't work, either." Asuka said, trying another button.   
  
"No facilities work. Strange." Rei said.  
  
"Has something happened in the Geo-front?" Asuka continued.  
  
"It's logical to think so." Rei.  
  
"Anyway, let's try to contact Nerv Headquarters." Shinji suggests.  
  
The three whip out their phones and can't connect through. They try the emergency phones on the wall but they don't work either.  
  
"Damn it, what is going on here?" Asuka yelled pounding the phone.  
  
"That's not going to help..." Rei said, noticing that the phone was beginning to crack.  
  
"What do you suggest I do then?" Asuka shot back.  
  
Rei sat down in one of the chairs that ran through the hallway and opened her school bag. She pulled out a square shaped card, then breaking it in half she took out the piece of paper that was inside. Asuka snapped her fingers and opened her bag also.  
  
"What are you guys doing?" Shinji asked peeking into Asuka's bag.  
  
She got in his face, "What are you, stupid? I'm looking for the emergency manual!"  
  
Rei scanned her piece of paper and nodded to herself. She stood up, "Let us proceed to Headquarters via Route-07."  
  
Asuka nodded and led the way, the others followed. They came before a door.   
  
"It doesn't work…" Shinji said.  
  
"That's why we have you Third!" Asuka said.  
  
Moments later Shinji was trying to manually open the door using a lever inside the keypad.   
  
"Why…am…I…stuck…with…this…job!?" he groaned, putting everything in his timid frame to work.  
  
"You don't expect us woman to do the dirty work now do you?" Asuka said with a smirk as she stood around watching with Rei.  
  
Asuka's mind suddenly noticed how attractive Shinji looked as he twisted the lever around. Asuka slapped herself mentally.  
  
'WHAT AM I THINKING!? I'M GETTING HENTAI THOUGHTS ABOUT THE THIRD CHILD!' her mind screamed.  
  
Shinji swung the reinforced steel door open and collapsed on the floor, panting.  
  
"….after you ladies…."   
  
Rei stepped through the doorway. Shinji got up and went after her, 'Wait a second…Asuka?' he thought looking back. She was still near the door, her eyes glazed over. Shinji went up to her and waved his hands in front of her.  
  
"Anyone there?"  
  
She snapped out of it and went after Ayanami. Shrugging, Shinji followed.  
  
In central command, Akagi, Fuyuzuki and Ikari were discussing how it was possible for all the power systems to go.  
  
"This Geo-front was designed to be a self-sufficient colony if it's ever isolated from the outside. Theoretically this cannot happen to all the power supplies." Kozo said.  
  
"That means that someone did it intentionally." Akagi agreed.  
  
"I would guess that their purpose is to research this place." Gendo added.  
  
"You mean that they want to guess the structures of Headquarters from the recovery procedures correct?" Akagi asked.  
  
"That's damn annoying." Kozo cursed.  
  
"I'll run dummy programs on Magi to make it difficult for them to understand the whole." Agaki suggested.  
  
Gendo nodded, "I'll leave it up to you."  
  
Ritsuko turned and left. "Yes."  
  
Kozo remained next to the Commander. "That the first damage to Headquarters should be caused by people no less human than we are. I cannot bear the thought."  
  
Gendo didn't move. "In the end, humanity is its own enemy."  
  
The pilots wander around dark deserted hallways, trying to figure out the route that led to HQ. As they passed the sixth crossing they heard a vehicle approach from above. They looked up at the grate and saw a car speed pass. Makoto's voice could be heard.  
  
"An Angel is coming, repeat, an Angel is coming now!"  
  
"An Angel is coming!" Shinji & Asuka said together.  
  
Rei looked around the hallway, "We can't waste time. We should take a shortcut."  
  
The car Makoto had 'borrowed' crashed into central command. He gave his message again, causing chaos to erupt in the room. Gendo stood up.  
  
"Take care of things here for me." He said to Fuyuzuki.  
  
"Where are you going Ikari?" He asked.  
  
"We need to prep the Evangelions." Gendo said aand left.  
  
"Manually?" Kozo said in confusion.  
  
The pilots have now taken to crawling around the air conditioning ducts.   
  
"Some shortcut…" Asuka muttered.  
  
Rei told her to be quiet and hurry up. Asuka saw an opening off to the side, crawling away from the others she came up to it and kicked the grate out of its place. She poked her head outside, she found herself looking at the Angel from a small opening in the side of the curb.  
  
"Shit!" Asuka pulled her head back in and crawled back to the others. They stared at her.  
  
"Uh…we've seen the Angel, lets hurry!" she blurted out.  
  
They continued their way through the ducts, crawling single file with Rei in the front, Asuka in the middle and Shinji coming up last.  
  
"You'd better not look in front of you Third!" Asuka yelled.  
  
Shinji couldn't resist and looked, "Why?"  
  
He was met with several kicks to the face from Asuka's foot.   
  
"Baka! Jerk! Pervert! Idiot!" she screamed.   
  
As this happened the duct they were in gave way and they crashed down ten feet, landing in a tangled mess and in embarrassing positions. Rei landed on her feet gracefully next to them. The two looked up and saw that they were in the Eva cages and that everyone in the room were looking at them. Doctor Akagi, who was nearest to them looked down.  
  
"Asuka, I think Shinji would appreciate it if you moved your hand from there." She said trying not to laugh.  
  
Asuka blushed and guessed where her hand was, looking down, her suspicions were confirmed. Her hand was caught between Shinji's legs.  
  
"Err…" Shinji said looking down.  
  
Asuka quickly removed her hand and stood up, no one could say whether her hair or her face was redder. Gendo didn't care too much about any of this and returned to getting the plugs inserted into the Evangelions by rope.   
  
"Pilots, suit up." He ordered.  
  
The three looked up at their Evas,   
  
"How'd they set them up!? Nothing here works!" Shinji exclaimed.  
  
"It was done by hand, this was the commander's idea, he knew you guys were coming and made sure that they would be ready for you." Ritsuko said.  
  
(A/N: To see Gendo getting dirty, go to- pic 3)  
  
The plugs containing the three children were feed into the Evas' backs. The crew cut through the pressure pipes and unlocked the restrains.   
  
"All right everyone, remove the bindings by force." Gendo commanded.  
  
The Evas pushed against their locks and pulled free (A/N: For a picture of this go to- pic 4), they quickly proceeded through a side duct, much like the ones their pilots had been crawling around in not too long ago. Asuka reached the end of the duck and kicked open the grate. The three Evas jumped out and clung to the walls. They looked up at the opening, they could see blue sky out side and began to make their way up. Suddenly an eye appeared over the top and a rain of acid poured down from it. Eva-02 was on top and some of its armor and padding melted.   
  
"Ahhhh!!" Auska yelled, her Eva slipped.  
  
The red unit crashed down into Unit-00, and together they crashed into Unit-01. Between all this their only rifle was dropped to the bottom of the service tube. They quickly retreated into a side tunnel.  
  
"Damn! We need to think of something fast!" Shinji cursed.  
  
"Our power reserves are only good for three more minutes." Rei observed.  
  
"Then here's what we do," Asuka said. "Defense stays here, neutralizes the AT-field and also protects Offense from Angel's solvent liquid. Backup goes down, picks up the dropped rifle and gives it to Offense. Offense then destroys the target with a burst from the rifle."  
  
"A good plan, I'll be playing defense?" Rei asked.  
  
"No, I will. You're back up." Asuka said.  
  
"Asuka!" Shinji objected. "It's too dangerous!"  
  
"That's the reason. I'll feel funny unless I get even with you for the last battle. Shinji is Offense. Wondergirl is Backup. All right?" Asuka said and before they could answer she jumped out and stretched her Eva across the tunnel, shielding the other two from all the acid.  
  
"Hurry!" she said as the pain from acid eating at her Eva was sent through her nerves.  
  
Rei jumped down, Shinji got in position under Asuka, Rei threw up the rifle to Shinji.  
  
"Asuka! Now!" Shinji yelled, taking aim.  
  
Asuka ducked out of the way and Shinji fired into the eye on the bottom of the Angel, it collapsed in a heap.  
  
Asuka's Eva fell down on top of Shinji's.  
  
"Now we'll even." She said with a proud smile.  
  
Shinji smiled back. "Whatever you say Asuka."  
  
In the elevator Misato is on Kaji's shoulder.  
  
"Damn it! Why doesn't it open?! It's an emergency! I've gotta go to the toilet before I have an accident! Uh! Hey! I told you not to look up!" she screamed.  
  
Kaji sighed. "Okay, okay!"  
  
Then suddenly the power is recovered and the elevator rumbles and descends to the next floor, causing the two passengers to lose their balance and fall on top of each other. The doors open to reveal Ritsuko and Maya, they looked down and sweat-dropped.  
  
"First the Second and Third Child, now you. Well now I know where they get it from." Ritsuko said shaking her head.  
  
"It's no wonder how those two behave." Maya said looking at where Misato's head was, which was very near Kaji's pants.   
  
The pilots sit on a hilltop overlooking the city and watch as Tokyo-Three's power was restored little by little (A/N: For a picture of this go to- pic 5). Rei fell asleep after a while, leaving Shinji and Asuka with each other for company. Asuka looked at Shinji, who had his eyes towards the heavens, star gazing. She hesitated, but she did owe it to him she thought.  
  
"Shinji," she began, he looked back at her. "I'm sorry about this morning, I've been a little edgy lately…"  
  
He smiled, and Auska began to really enjoy seeing that smile, not that she would admit it.   
  
"It's ok Auska, anything I can do to help?" he asked.  
  
She shook her head, "Well, then again…maybe you could..." She said.  
  
"What?" Shinji asked.  
  
"It'd be nice if you could make me some German waffles."   
  
Shinji laughed, "That's easy. I promise you that you'll have it for breakfast tomorrow."  
  
"Thanks Shinji."  
  
A/N: As always, authors love reviews. Also available is my other story "Evangelion, Children of Humanity: Guardian Angel". Just check out my profile to find it. Later. - 


	4. Trips and Realization

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Chapter 4 is here, knock yourself out. And if the format is bad, then I'm sorry. The uploading processes takes out all my paragraphs for some reason (sigh) well, if you don't understand anything you could always ask me via the review system.  
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I do I'll let you know.  
  
True to his word, Asuka woke up the next morning to smells of Belgian Waffles. She smiled and went to the bathroom to shower and get dressed for the day.  
  
Shinji was in the kitchen putting final touches on his waffles, he read and reread the directions on a recipe card to make sure that he got everything right. Satisfied, he went to wake Misato and Asuka. He knocked on the purple haired woman's door, he got no answer. Curious, he called out that he was coming in, still no answer; he opened the door a crack and found the room empty.   
  
"Hmmm, she didn't say anything about going in early…" he shrugged and went to Asuka's room. He knocked and got no answer either.  
  
"What the hell? Where is everyone?" Shinji said and went into the room.   
  
The next moment he would remember the rest of his life.  
  
"AHHHHHHH!!!!!! SHINJI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU BARGING INTO MY ROOM FOR!?" a half dressed Asuka screamed. "GET OUT!!"  
  
Shinji didn't wait for her to say that, he was out by the time she was on 'MY ROOM'. He closed the door behind him and gasped.  
  
"I'm too young to die!!" he thought. Others would think it strange that the pilot of Evangelion Unit-01, and the last hope for mankind, would say that when he was completely calm when facing fifty story monsters and jumping into volcanoes and the like. But those people did not know Asuka Langley Sorhyu very well. Poor Shinji now kneeled in the hallway and prayed for mercy, whether to god or the enraged German within even he didn't know.  
  
Asuka opened the door, her blue eyes narrowed. She was in a murderous rage.  
  
"Oh Third…" she sang sweetly, spotting Shinji cowering in a corner of the hall.  
  
"A…Asu…Asuka! It's not what you think!" he stuttered. "I…I was looking for Misato! But her room…she wasn't there…and your room…I thought you guys went out…"  
  
Asuka took a minute to process his rambling.   
  
"So you knocked on Misato's door, but she wasn't in. And you knocked on my door, and getting no answer you thought I was out also?" she asked.  
  
"Yes." Shinji said.  
  
"Well, I didn't hear you knock…" Asuka said.   
  
"I swear I did!" Shinji said.  
  
"I guess you wouldn't have the guts to peek intentionally anyway." Asuka decided and did not kill Shinji.  
  
The boy thanked her and beat a hasty retreat back to the kitchen. Asuka chuckled at how easy the Third Child was to intimidate, then remembering breakfast she went after him to the kitchen.  
  
Asuka sat at the table patting her stomach after finishing three plates of waffles.   
  
'Damn, I have a good metabolism!' she thought.   
  
She watched Shinji's back as he moved around the kitchen washing the dishes and humming. Asuka suddenly had that feeling again, like back at Nerv yesterday. Her brain kept telling her that Shinji looked hot, she didn't want to admit it but her face heating up betrayed her. Quickly she fled to the living room in case Shinji turned and saw her staring at him and blushing.  
  
"What's wrong with me!?" she thought in a panic. "I keep getting this feeling of attraction for the idiot! Better ask Akagi if they did something to the LCL in my Eva."   
  
"Asuka?"   
  
"AH!" Asuka jumped at the voice and turned.  
  
Shinji stood there, still in his apron.  
  
"What do you what?"  
  
"I was just wondering why you are staring blankly at the sofa…" he said.  
  
"I was thinking! Is me thinking any of your business!?" she yelled.  
  
"Oh…sorry." He said and once again, ducked back into the kitchen.   
  
Asuka shook her head to clear it and decided that she needed to take her mind off of Shinji so she went to call Hikari and they could go shopping or something. Hikari answered and was delighted with the suggestion, thus their plans made, Asuka left to meet Hikari at her place.  
  
"Bye Shinji! Going shopping with Hikari. I'll be back for dinner!" She called as she went out the door.  
  
"Ok!" Shinji answered from his place in the kitchen, drying dishes.  
  
Asuka arrived at her friend's door and was greeted by a cheery brunette.   
  
"Hey Asuka! Shall we go?"  
  
Asuka nodded and yelling goodbye to Hikari's sisters, the two girls walked in the direction of the mall.  
  
They spent several hours going through all the clothing stores and accessories and finally stopped for lunch after repeated pleas form a very worn out Hikari.  
  
"Geez Auska! Are you thinking of mapping out the whole mall!?" Hikari exclaimed as they sat down in the plastic chairs, dumping their load of shopping onto the floor.  
  
"Been there, done that…" Asuka mumbled.  
  
"What!?" Hikari yelled causing some people nearby to stare.  
  
"Just kidding!" Asuka said quickly.  
  
Hikari grumbled and Asuka offered to go and get their food. She returned soon with a tray baring two bowls of soba noodles. As they dug in Asuka noticed the quality of the noodles.  
  
"That baka makes better noodles…" Asuka said under her breath.  
  
Hikari however, had heard it.  
  
"Oh, are you complimenting Shinji?" she asked teasingly.  
  
Asuka turned red and yelled an indignant "NO!"  
  
"Hmmm..I could've sworn I heard you say that he made better food…" Hikari said.  
  
"Well…he does! But I was just stating a fact that's all!" Asuka retorted.  
  
"Oh come on Asuka! Most people who know you and Shinji well enough knows that you have a thing for each other!"  
  
"WHAT!? WHO SAID THAT!?" Asuka yelled jumping out of her chair, some people had moved away from their table by now.  
  
"It's pretty obvious you know. I see the looks you give each other sometimes, before you look away when you see each other staring that is." Hikari continued.  
  
Asuka collapsed in her chair. "How many?"  
  
"Just me, Toji, and Misato I think. Kensuke doesn't care and I don't know about Rei." Hikari replied.  
  
Asuka sighed.  
  
"So do you admit it?" her friend pressed.  
  
Asuka looked at her. "Alright…he is kinda cute…when he's not saying sorry or being a hentai baka that is."   
  
"Yes! I knew it!!" Hikari yelled laughing.  
  
"HEY!" Asuka said.  
  
"I'm sorry! It's just to hear you finally say it…" she continued to laugh.  
  
Asuka sat in her chair and crossed her arms. 'Well didn't this trip backfired…I came to take my mind off the Third Child…'  
  
Asuka made Hikari swear under penalty of never getting married that she would not repeat their exchange to anyone. Then they walked home with Hikari asking her about things like 'How long?' and 'Did he ever say anything?' Asuka pretended not to hear her for the most part.  
  
They stayed at Hikari's house for a little then Hikari had to start dinner for her family so Asuka bade her goodbye and began her trek home. It was around seven-thirty and being weighed down with tons of bags Asuka was a little sluggish. She was two streets away from the Katsurigi/Sohryu/Ikari apartment when she tripped and started to fall backwards but someone caught her.  
  
"Asuka! You alright?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Shinji…" Asuka stuttered, looking into his eyes. She was sort of leaning backwards with his hands holding her back around the middle.  
  
She realized this and righted herself.   
  
"Thanks, but move you hand any lower next time and you will get it." She said.  
  
Shinji mumbled a sorry and carried her stuff up to the apartment for her.   
  
In the elevator, a thought occurred to Asuka.   
  
"Shinji, what were you doing out at night?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, I was looking for you. You said you'd be back for dinner and I never got a call from you." He said from behind the mountain of bags and boxes.  
  
Asuka was surprised that he would be worried enough to go down and search for her, no one had ever really been concerned for her. Except maybe Kaji, but he was always thinking about something. Asuka was brought back from her thinking by the 'ding' of the elevator, announcing that they had arrived at level twenty-four. She led the way to their apartment's door and slid the keycard through. She entered and saw a cold dinner on the table, he had made some of her favorite dishes, she smiled and turned to see where Shinji had gone. She giggled when she saw him struggling to get through the door with all her stuff, she went up to him and took half of it.   
  
"Oh thanks Asuka." He said happily and followed her to her room where they dumped everything on the ground. Shinji went back to his room afterwards so Asuka went out to the kitchen and just microwave everything.  
  
"Shinji! I reheated the food! Come and eat!" she shouted.  
  
She didn't get any response. Annoyed, she marched to his door and knocked on it. After a few seconds she slid the door open and found Shinji asleep with his SDAT Player in his ears. He looked really tired, so Asuka left him alone and ate by herself.  
  
'I wonder where Misato is?' she thought as she ate. When she had finished she thought again how much she ate despite her figure. Shrugging, she threw everything in the sink, knowing that Shinji would take care of it in the morning.  
  
She went to check on Shinji and found everything the same, as she was leaving she noticed a corner of white sticking out of his desk drawer. Curious, Asuka quietly opened the drawer and found a photo of herself. She gasped and Shinji stirred a little, she looked at him and quickly and quietly left the room.  
  
'He has a picture of me tucked in a drawer?' she thought, "What does that mean? And how did he get that picture?" That last one was easy…Aida Kensuke.  
  
With enough things to think about o last her a while she went to bed and fell sound asleep. In less than an hour Misato returned from work. She wanted to tell the two pilots some exciting news but decide to wait till tomorrow when she saw them asleep.  
  
'Wait till they hear this…Asuka will be so exited…I heard she was really good at it in Germany.' The purple hair major thought before going to bed herself.  
  
A/N: As always, authors love reviews. Also available is my other story "Evangelion, Children of Humanity: Guardian Angel". Just check out my profile to find it. Later. - 


	5. EMAWP

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Chapter 5 is here, knock yourself out. And if the format is bad, then I'm sorry. The uploading processes takes out all my paragraphs for some reason (sigh) well, if you don't understand anything you could always ask me via the review system. Also, apologies for the late update, school is a bitch these days, and there's the state testing too.  
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I do I'll let you know.  
  
Asuka and Shinji woke up late the next day, it was Sunday so they could sleep in a little. After taking turns at the bathroom for brushing their teeth, showering, and all that, they went into the kitchen to get something to eat. On their way Misato greeted them in the living room, watching TV with Pen-Pen.  
  
"Morning kids!" She said turning to face them.  
  
"Wark!" Pen-Pen said as a good morning.  
  
The two teens said theirs and sat on the couch next to them.   
  
"No work today Misato?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Actually, I'm supposed to take you into Nerv as soon as possible for briefing on Ritsuko's new project." Misato said, stroking the penguin's head.  
  
"What does her project have to do with us?" Asuka asked.  
  
"Well, she's been working a new weapon for the Evas." Misato answered. "So there's some ramen in the kitchen, when you're finished we'll go."  
  
The two pilots stared at her.  
  
"I didn't make the ramen, it's take out." She grumbled.  
  
Relived, the children went to eat.  
  
"They give me no credit for my cooking…it's not that bad is it?" Misato said to her penguin. It stared her blankly.   
  
"Et tu Pen-Pen?" she asked.  
  
Half an hour later…  
  
"AHHHHHH!!!! MISATO!!! CAR ON THE LEFT!!!!" Shinji screamed from his seat in the back as his guardian drove to Nerv.  
  
The blue A310 Alpine swerved right just in time to avoid the on coming car, the driver of said car was yelling something but their vehicle drove past too fast for them to hear it.  
  
"I think that man was cussing you out Misato." Asuka said.   
  
"Oh! People these days… bet he wouldn't if I flashed my Nerv card." Misato answered.  
  
Shinji cowered in the back seat. Asuka looked at him in the rearview mirror from her place in the passenger's seat.  
  
"Hey, the baka doesn't look so good." She said.  
  
Misato looked. "Oh Shinji! What's wrong!?"  
  
"…slow…dow..down...please!" he groaned.  
  
The major of Nerv slowed her car, but not without grumbling, "First my cooking, now my driving…kids these days…"  
  
At last they reach the tunnel that led cars inside the Geo-Front via a large conveyor belt. Misato handed Shinji a paper bag while Asuka kept complaining how much of a weakling and idiot he was. This was only something she did to keep others thinking that she felt nothing for the Third Child, of course, only she knew that. Misato and Shinji bought the act and they rode the car to Nerv.  
  
Asuka and Shinji were the big meeting room of Nerv, along with the important members of Nerv and the other pilot, Rei Ayanami. Dr. Akagi stood near a white board, proudly introducing her latest development for the Evas. A mobile weapon called "E.M.A.W.P." Evangelion Mobile Assault Weapons Platform. The pilots were stunned, apparently, this new weapon was a giant Eva sized mech-horse from which Evas could attack. It had fight capabilities so the Evas now could fight in the air, it had countless cannons and missile launchers on it's body. It also stored weapons for the Evas, like spears, Prog. Knifes, handguns and anything else they needed. What was most stunning to the people in the room was the control system Akagi had designed. It was the same as an Eva, entry plug, LCL, and a plug suit. Only these were formatted to accommodate a horse. Akagi put up a display of a horse in full plug suit from one of their tests. The final design was this, the horse would pilot the "E.M.A.W.P.", and the Eva would control the horse using the reins on the "E.M.A.W.P.". Also the unit will provide power for the Evangelion via its internal generator, this was its best feature because the Eva's greatest weakness was its dependent on the umbilical cable. Therefore, the pilots were now required to take riding lessons. Asuka was giddy with joy, she had taken up horse riding in Germany and was a champion horse-rider, and she had the medals to prove it. Commander Ikari left these arrangements to Major Katsurigi and left with Fuyuzuki. The other Nerv staff congratulated Ritsuko on this radical new weapon and left too. Akagi smiled at Misato and packed up to go and send some of her results in the tests to another Nerv branch. Misato was left alone with the three pilots.  
  
"Well, the Commander wants actual tests with the Evas and the human pilots A.S.A.P. so there's going to be lessons everyday after school." Misato said looking at her clipboard. "We'll be doing it at a Nerv facility on the outskirts of the city."   
  
Rei nodded.  
  
Shinji followed suit.  
  
Asuka however…  
  
"I already know how to do it, why do I need lessons?" Asuka demanded.  
  
"Well…you could just practice and sharpen your skills right?" Misato answered.  
  
"Hey…yeah! Asuka said.  
  
Thus decide, Rei left and the three roommates went home for dinner and rest for school and riding lessons the next day.  
  
Shinji went into his room and to his desk, he noticed that one of his drawers wasn't closed all the way.  
  
'Hey…that's where I put…' he thought and opened it, Asuka's smiling face stared back at him.   
  
'Did Asuka…' he began 'see?'   
  
(A/N: For a picture of the photo, go to- pic 6)  
  
A/N: As always, authors love reviews. Also available is my other story "Evangelion, Children of Humanity: Guardian Angel". Just check out my profile to find it. Later. - 


	6. Lodernd, Shadow, and Pegasus

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Chapter 6 is here, knock yourself out. In case anyone is wondering, the horse idea came from a combination of G Gundam, Dynasty Warriors, and my own obsessions with horses. Chapters 5 and 6 are short, I know and I'm sorry. I have a shit load to do with tests and hw and a life, so bare with me. I promise that chapter 7 will be at a decant length though.  
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I do I'll let you know.  
  
Asuka looked around the field from her saddle, it was a beautiful scene. The Nerv testing grounds for the horses was located near forests and fields. School had been torture, waiting for the bell to ring when they could get out. Misato had met them at the front (causing some of the male students to crash into things, with their eyes being on her) and drove over to the edge of the city to the Nerv facility. There they changed into riding clothes and were assigned their own horses, Asuka had been given a chestnut colored horse called "Lodernd", Rei received a black horse named "Shadow". Shinji, had been assigned the best horse, a magnificent white stallion called "Pegasus". Asuka had watched Shinji approach the animal cautiously and jumping back when it reared on its hind legs and neighed loudly. Asuka had no trouble mounting her steed and was soon galloping across the area. Rei had managed to get in her saddle and was moving around with her beast but not as fast or skillfully as Asuka. (A/N: To see Rei on her horse go to- pic 7) They stopped to watch Shinji try again and again to get on Pegasus, the Nerv staff didn't help, their orders were to let the pilots get familiar with their own horse and not interfere unless the children were in danger. Finally, Shinji mounted, he grasped the reins and tried to guild the animal slowly out of the stable. He pulled too hard and the horse bolted out at top speed, Asuka marveled at the speed of Shinji's horse, before realizing that Shinji was screaming at the top of his lungs.  
  
"Pull on the reins and don't let go!" Asuka yelled.  
  
Shinji followed this advice and Pegasus slowed to a trot and then stopped. Shinji breathed a sigh of relief and patted the animal's back while it munched on some grass under it. Asuka came over on her Londernd and Shinji thanked her.  
  
"Eh, if you ask me. You shouldn't ride something that powerful on your first try." She grumbled.  
  
Shinji turned red and looked down at his steed's head. Rei also trotted over.  
  
"Pilot Sohryu, Commander Ikari wanted us to bond with our individual horses and Pegasus is Shinji's." she said.  
  
"Yeah yeah…" with that Asuka turned her horse around and rode it across the field and jumped over a fence at the end. Rei looked down at her horse and dug her heels into it. Shadow ran at top speed and cleared the fence. Asuka yelled to Shinji to try it. Shinji pulled on the reins and Pegasus galloped the same track the other two had taken, but when it got to the fence it reared up and brought all its legs down, causing Shinji to almost fall out of the saddle. Shinji straitened up and leaned forward.  
  
"Ok boy, look, we're partners from now on, and we should work together. What's wrong?" Shinji asked the horse.  
  
Pegasus turned its head to the left and looked into Shinji's eye with its left eye. It stared for a minute and then, shaking its head, trotted back to where they started from. Taking the hint, Shinji snapped the reins. Neighing, Pegasus dashed to the fence even faster and sailed across the fence easily. The girls clapped, Shinji smiled and patted Pegasus' mane.  
  
"Good boy." He said, Pegasus neighed again and ate some grass.  
  
Asuka, Shinji and Misato returned to their apartment and ordered Chinese take out. When that was done Misato grabbed a beer and went into her room. Asuka went to the living room and lay on the couch watching TV. Shinji approached her and sat down on the floor next to the couch. He glanced at her and decided not to ask about the picture incident. She didn't seem to act any different so Shinji assumed that she didn't know anything about his crush on her. He watched TV a while longer and turned in for the night. Asuka watched him go into his room, thinking that he knew nothing about the crush she was developing for him, and even she was not really sure what she was feeling for her male roommate. She sighed.  
  
"Shinji Ikari…you baka…"   
  
A/N: As always, authors love reviews. Later. - 


	7. Attack from the Heavens

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Chapter 7 is here, knock yourself out.   
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I do I'll let you know.  
  
Shinji Ikari sat on a bench under a tree on the school grounds, picking at his lunch. He glanced up at where his roommate Asuka was eating, talking, and laughing with the class rep. He continued to look at her, taking in the beauty of her smile when someone slapped him in the back, hard.  
  
"Shinji old boy! What are you looking at?" a bespectacled student with a camcorder asked.  
  
Shinji rubbed his back and turned his head.  
  
"Damn it Kensuke, don't scare me like that. And the slapping was uncalled for too."   
  
Kensuke grinned and sat down next to him, he pointed his camera at where Shinji was staring before Kensuke arrived.  
  
"Ah…oh, wait a second…you weren't looking at the red-devil were you?" Kensuke asked  
  
"Uh…no, of course not…" Shinji said evasively.  
  
Kensuke looked again.  
  
"Oh hell, if you were looking at Hikari…well, Toji will kill you." Kensuke warned.  
  
"NO! I wasn't looking at either of them…I was just…staring into space." Shinji said.  
  
Kensuke shrugged and resumed pointing his camera everywhere, hoping to catch something good on film for him to use as blackmail. Shinji knew what his friend does and tried again and again to tell him that voyeurism and blackmail was illegal, but Kensuke never cared. Shinji sighed and put away his barely touched lunch.  
  
"Now that you say it…where is Toji?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Don't know…probably still stuffing his face." Kensuke replied.  
  
A fist connected with the back of Kensuke's head, causing him to fall facedown off of the bench and onto the floor.  
  
"Talking 'bout me behind me back again Kensuke?" Toji asked, his right fist out and a grin on his face.  
  
"God Toji, that hurts!" Kensuke grumbled getting up.  
  
"Well now you know how it feels…" Shinji muttered.  
  
"What's up?" Toji asked.  
  
"Nothing, except Shinji's been staring at the class rep." Kensuke said.  
  
"WHAT!?" Toji exclaimed, grabbing Shinji by the collar.  
  
"NO! NO! I wasn't staring at Hikari!" Shinji stammered, "I was staring into space! God damn you Kensuke!"  
  
Toji put Shinji down and looked at Kensuke rolling on the floor, laughing his head off. He exchanged a look with Shinji.  
  
"Shall we?" Toji asked.  
  
"After you my friend." Shinji said.  
  
Moments later, the whole school witnessed Aida Kensuke being stuffed rudely into a broom closet by Ikari and Suzuhara. His cries for help echoed around the halls but everyone was laughing too hard to do anything.  
  
After school, Asuka and Shinji waved goodbye to Toji, Hikari, and a very angry Kensuke (he didn't get out for hours) and headed towards Nerv. On the way they met Rei and proceeded together. They went to Central Dogma and were told to suit up for the tests with the actual "E.M.A.W.P."s. The horses were fitted with the special plug suits and led into the entry plugs of the "E.M.A.W.P."s. The three human pilots also got suited up and entered their Evas.  
  
"Ok, we're going to have to do this in the GeoFront outside HQ." Ritsuko said through the com-link. "Here's the plan, Evas will launch out side of HQ and wait for the "E.M.A.W.P."s to come up. Then you will mount them and proceed to tests how they function with the Evas. We will guild you in what to check for and all that."  
  
"Understood." The pilots said.  
  
Evas 00, 01, and 02 were launched through the catapults and the "E.M.A.W.P."s soon followed. The three units were painted the same color as the horse inside for easier identification. Shinji moved Unit-01 to the white unit and mounted. The girls did the same with the other two.   
  
(A/N: To see a picture of what the E.M.A.W.P. would look like, go to- pic 8)  
  
"How is it?" Dr. Akagi asked.  
  
"Er…how do you use it?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Same way you control the horses before." Was the reply.  
  
Shinji squeezed his Eva's hand controls and Unit-01 pulled on the reins of the E.M.A.W.P. unit. Its eyes lit up and it began to trot forward. Asuka and Rei pulled on their mounts and soon all three Evas looked like giant versions of the armored cavalry from medieval times. The people of Nerv looked in awe at Dr. Akagi's newest toys and cheered.   
  
"Congratulations Doctor." Commander Ikari said from his place in the command box.  
  
"Thank you."   
  
Shinji and the others rode around for a little while and the E.M.A.W.P. units did well. Soon Akagi's voice came up.  
  
"Pilots, now I want you to try the thrus-" she began but the screen at Central Dogma suddenly changed to a live feed from one of their satellites. And it showed a large Angel in orbit above Japan.   
  
"Angel alert!" Aoba yelled.  
  
The command center erupted into chaos as they tried to get all possible data on this new threat.  
  
"Recall the Evangelions! Test aborted!" Ritsuko yelled.  
  
"No!" Misato said sharply, "Leave them out, they'll need to launch again to fight the Angel anyway."  
  
She turned to Makoto, "Have the Evas exit the GeoFront via route E-06 and stay at that position!"  
  
"But the E.M.A.W.P. units!" Ritsuko protested.  
  
"Consider this their first combat mission!" Misato said. "Give me all that data you've collected on the tenth Angel!"   
  
"It is breaking parts of itself off and launching them into the atmosphere!" Makoto yelled.  
  
"What!?" Misato asked.  
  
Just then a large earth quick hit Nerv and everyone toppled over.  
  
"The piece of the Angel had impacted the coast of Japan at critical velocity! I estimate that it is trying to attack Headquarters in that fashion!" Maya said.  
  
"More that likely it will launch itself in a full out kamikaze attack…" Misato said under her breath. "Have the Evas fire at it with long range cannons, we need to come up with a plan in the mean time."  
  
Shinji and the others had taken route E-06 and emerged near a hill at the edge of Tokyo-3, there, they waited for further orders from command. Having received those orders minutes later, he had Unit-01 open a compartment on the side of the E.M.A.W.P. unit's neck and retrieved a small rocket launcher. He noticed that Asuka and Rei had pulled out a weapon each so they rode up the hill and targeted the orbiting Angel. They then unleashed a barrage of missile fire on the Angel, but most of them didn't make it through the atmosphere and those that did were stopped by the Angel's AT-Field.   
  
"Damn, this is useless!" Asuka growled.  
  
"Well what do you suggest?" Shinji asked.  
  
Asuka answered by reaching behind her and pulling out a beam cannon from the rear of her E.M.A.W.P. unit. She took a minute to align the crosshairs and pulled the trigger. A beam of red light shot at the Angel but didn't puncture its AT-Field. Asuka cursed and tried again. Before she could fire the Angel dropped out of orbit and free fall towards Tokyo-3.  
  
"Crap!" Asuka said and kicked her mount. The E.M.A.W.P. unit's tail opened and a burst of flame came out, taking a running start Asuka's E.M.A.W.P. launched into the air at the incoming Angel.  
  
"AUSKA!" Misato screamed through the com. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"  
  
Rei followed Asuka's lead and also had her E.M.A.W.P. take flight. Eva-01 snapped the reins and Pegasus' E.M.A.W.P. was in the air too. It was much faster than the other two and soon soared past the other two units and met the on coming Angel.  
  
"Shinji!" Asuka yelled.  
  
"I know!" Shinji yelled back and spread his AT-Field as far as possible while firing the E.M.A.W.P. unit's thrusters to maximum burn.   
  
He was slowing it, but not by a lot. He was soon joined by Units 00 and 02, together, they managed to slow the Angel's speed down enough for them to control the fall. The pilots tried to force the direction of the Angel towards the ocean but it was not enough. Their options few, Asuka pulled out her Prog. Knife and shouted to Shinji. He nodded and dug his Eva's fingers into the Angel's At-Field, ripping a small hole open. Asuka plunged the knife into the eye and also core of the Angel and the three quickly guided their E.M.A.W.P. units away from it. The Angel exploded, only a mile from the ground, had it made contact Tokyo-3 would not have survived the blast. Everyone at Nerv stood with his or her mouths open, stunned, at the display of aerial combat they had just witnessed. Then, slowly, they began to cheer and soon the whole base was jumping with joy and laughing. The only ones not joining in were the Commander and Sub-Commander, who left when the Angel was destroyed. Akagi collapsed into a chair and lit up a cigarette.   
  
"Well, we got to test those thrusters after all." Misato said.  
  
"Yep." The doctor responded.   
  
After returning the Evas and E.M.A.W.P. units to base, the three children were treated to a ramen dinner by Misato and had a good time. The Major drove Rei home and went back to the apartment with the other two children. Misato went in and went straight to bed, not even bothering to change her clothes. Asuka raced to the showers and came out an hour later, wrapped in a pink towel.  
  
"All yours Third." She said.  
  
(A/N:To see Asuka at this point go to- pic 9)  
  
Shinji nodded but didn't move, he continued to stare at Asuka, she seemed to be shaking a little but Shinji though that it must be his imagination. Asuka notice his stare and looked down at how she was dressed and blushed.  
  
"Pervert!" she yelled and kicked Shinji in the shin then marched back into her room.   
  
Shinji was left hopping on one foot and holding the other, trying to hold back the screams. After a while he was able to walk and went to take his shower, he was surprised that Asuka hadn't used up all the hot water like she usually did.  
  
Little did he know that Asuka had know that there was limited hot water and had taken the latter half of her shower with cold water so Shinji could have some. So Shinji, thinking that it was luck, went to bed without trouble. Asuka however, was in her bed shivering like mad. She didn't like the cold that much and had not ventured out during winters in Germany.   
  
'Shinji deserved some relaxation after today's fight.' She though and smiled. She always did these days whenever she thought of things like that. So she curled up under her blanket and tried to sleep.  
  
A/N: As always, authors love reviews. Also available is my other story "Evangelion, Children of Humanity: Guardian Angel". Just check out my profile to find it. Later. - 


	8. The Flu Can be Good!

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Chapter 8 is here, knock yourself out. And by the way, I happen to like the idea of a horse mech very much and decide to try and splice it into my story. If you don't like it then skip some of the scenes, there's other stuff to read.  
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I do I'll let you know.  
  
Shinji waited at the table loaded with food for his roommates. Misato was still asleep and apparently, so was Asuka. This was strange as she usually did not want to be late for school and get detentions. Shinji heard a door open and looked around but it was just Pen-Pen coming out of his fridge.  
  
"Squawk!" he said.  
  
"At the edge of the table." Shinji said.  
  
The penguin took his bowl of fish and waddled back into his little refrigerator. Shinji looked back at the hallway and heard nothing. He debated whether to wake her or not. If he did, she'd kill him for disturbing her, if he didn't, she'd be late and kill him for not waking her. With death on either side he took a deep breath and walked over to Asuka's door. He knocked loudly, remembering last time.  
  
"Asuka?" he asked.  
  
"umm…"   
  
"Asuka?" he tried again.  
  
He heard groaning noises again and kept knocking, after a while he decide that something was wrong.   
  
"Asuka, I'm coming in!" he yelled.  
  
He opened the door and went in. He saw Asuka on her bed, her covers all over the floor. He went to her side and saw large amounts of sweat on her forehead and a pained look on her face.  
  
"Asuka!?" Shinji asked gently shaking her.   
  
Asuka groaned but did not open her eyes, Shinji felt her forehead, she had a fever. Shinji quickly went to the bathroom and got a bowl of cold water and some clean towels. He returned to Asuka's room and placed a soaked towel on her forehead. Her features relaxed a little and Shinji took this as a good sign. He heard Misato stir next door and went out into the hall.  
  
"Shinji?" the woman asked upon seeing him. "Why aren't you at school?"  
  
"Asuka's sick." He answered and went into the bathroom to find their cold medicine.  
  
Misato went into the girl's room to see about her condition. She also changed the towel Shinji had put on with a new one. When she did Asuka mumbled something and Misato lead closer to hear it.  
  
"Thanks Shinji…"  
  
Misato gasped softly, "Asuka…?"  
  
Shinji came back in and Misato straightened up.   
  
"I'm here Shinji, you need to get to school." She said.  
  
"No." Shinji said sharply.  
  
Misato was taken back by his reply; Shinji never talks back or disobeys. She watched as he kneeled besides Asuka.  
  
"Asuka, can you get up?" he asked.  
  
She just groaned again.  
  
"Shinji, you are going to-" Misato began.  
  
"Please let me stay with her, just for today? I can have Toji bring over the assigned work." Shinji said.  
  
Misato wavered. "Well…"  
  
She had never see Shinji like this…well…she had. That time at the volcano…then it clicked for her. She smiled inwardly.  
  
'Oh…how sweet…now if only he would stop being so shy and tell her.' She thought.  
  
"All right, you can stay with her today. Since you'll be here I'm going to go to work so…" she grinned. "Don't do anything stupid or she'll kill you when she gets better."  
  
"MISATO!!" he yelled.  
  
She stuck her tongue out and gave him the peace sign then went out into the kitchen. Shinji sweatdropped and returned to seeing to Asuka.  
  
At school:  
  
"Where's Ikari?" Toji asked sitting in his desk with his feet propped on the chair in front.  
  
"Don't know…think the red-devil got him?" Kensuke said changing the tape on his camera.  
  
"No, she's not here either…" Toji said looking around, he sat up quickly.  
  
"They're both out together!?" Toji and Kensuke exclaimed together.  
  
Asuka was still sleeping, her mind however, registered that someone was next to her and talking. Moments later, something cool was placed on her head and she felt better. Her brain was on fire, she felt dizzy, and her mind kept switching, one moment she was almost awake the next she would fall asleep and would soon become semi-awake once again. But she was positive that there was someone there, someone who cared a lot about her.  
  
"Thanks Shinji…" she got out.  
  
Shinji stayed right next to Asuka all day, occasionally changing the towel all the while chatting with her as if she was answering. Sometimes she would mumble something be he couldn't hear it.  
  
'Still asleep…she must be exhausted.' He thought.  
  
By noon Asuka seemed to have improved, for one thing she had finally awakened. Shinji saw her open her eyes and happily greeted her. She groaned and sat up.  
  
"Huh…what…" she mumbled.  
  
"You had a really high fever Asuka, so I stayed home today." Shinji explained.  
  
Asuka shook her head and looked around.   
  
"What time is it? And where's Misato?"  
  
Shinji checked his watch, "It's 12:28 p.m. and Misato's at Nerv."  
  
Asuka nodded and tried to get out of her bed but she was still a little dizzy and stumbled, Shinji caught her arm and helped her to the bathroom. He left her to brush and shower and went to go make some soup for her.  
  
In the bathroom, Asuka sat in a tub of warm water thinking.  
  
'Shinji is a really caring person…no one has ever cared whether I'm sick or not, as long as I can operate my Eva. Except that one time when Kaji came by to drop off flowers and cheer me up, but he didn't stay like Shinji did.'   
  
She sighed and sank deeper into the water, she watched as the fog on the mirror build up.  
  
'Gezz, I can't even take a cold shower without getting sick.' She thought biterly before getting out.  
  
She wrapped a towel around her hair and another one around her body, she brushed her teeth and exited the bathroom. On her way to her room she caught a glimpse of Shinji moving about in the kitchen. She smiled and went inside to get a change of clothes, coming out dressed, she went over to join Shinji.  
  
"Whatcha doing?" she asked.  
  
Shinji turned and saw her, "Oh, you're done. Here." He put a bowl of soup and two pills in front of her. "I though you might be hungry and I don't think you should be eating anything other than liquid yet. The pills are for the cold and dizziness, take them after the soup and you'll need to take them again before bed." He pulled out a chair for her and left. Asuka watched his back as he headed towards the bathroom, she sat down and slowly drank her soup. It was really good, creamy chicken, and not canned either. She got a glass of water and downed the pills, as she finished Shinji came back holding a basket of clothes from the bathroom.  
  
"Check the oven." He said as he passed on the way to the washing machine.  
  
Curious, Asuka went inside the kitchen and opened the oven door, inside was a plate of Belgian Waffles with powered sugar and syrup. A delighted Asuka took the plate back to the table and happily ate the treat. Shinji came back and sat down in the chair opposite of her. He breathed a sigh of relive and took off his apron.  
  
"Wow, amazing how much stuff we have that needs washing each week." He said, then he looked up at her. "Did you enjoy the little surprise?"  
  
She nodded, "Yep, thanks for everything Shinji."  
  
"It's nothing." He said and. "As long as you feel better."  
  
Shinji took her plate and bowl to the sink and washed them, with Asuka watching his back as he worked once again. An idea struck her, she went up behind Shinji and gave him a hug.  
  
"Thanks again Shinji." She said.  
  
"I…it's…ok Asuka." He stammered.  
  
She smiled and flicked his nose, she then went into the living room to watch TV, leaving Shinji a little shocked, but otherwise very happy.  
  
A few hours later, Shinji's two friends pay a visit, a loud and annoying visit.  
  
When the doorbell rang Shinji had gotten up from his place at the couch to answer it. The second the door was opened two boys crashed in and pounced on Shinji.  
  
"Ok Shinji! Don't worry! We're here now! Tell us what she did to you!" Kensuke yelled.  
  
Shinji tried to crawl out from under the two.  
  
"What the hell are you two doing!? Stop yelling or you'll wake Asuka!" he hissed.  
  
"She's asleep!? Good, it makes it easier for us to rescue you!" Toji said and began dragging Shinji towards the door.  
  
"Hey stop it!" Shinji said trying to break free but Toji was much stronger.   
  
"Look Toji! Let go of me!" Shinji said angrily and tore his hand out of his grip.  
  
Toji and Kensuke stared at their friend.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" Toji asked.  
  
"Oh my god! She must have brainwashed him!" Kensuke moaned.  
  
Shinji glared angrily at the two.   
  
"Look," he said "Asuka is very sick, she has just fallen asleep at the couch after a hard morning and if you two wake her up…I don't know who's gonna give you more hell, me or her!"  
  
Toji looked at the sofa at a mass of red hair on the side of the hand rest, it was moving up and down slowly. Toji realized their blunder and apologized. Kensuke, however…  
  
"This must be some work of the red-devil!" he cried.  
  
Shinji was pretty angry at his intrusion by now.  
  
"Kensuke, I am looking after Asuka because she's sick! What part of that don't you get!?" he hissed at him.  
  
Kensuke opened his mouth but Toji put his hand over it and pushed him out the door, slamming it shut, Toji apologized again and gave Shinji his and Asuka's homework for the day. He opened the door and slipped out, Shinji could hear Kensuke yelling something about saving their comrade from mind poisoning and Toji telling him to shut up.  
  
Shinji sighed and went back to check how Asuka was.  
  
"Stooges." She said as he approached.  
  
Shinji was surprised, "So they did wake you, I'm sorry. They don't mean any harm you know."  
  
"Hump, that baka Kensuke's the worse!" she said and swore a bit in German. Shinji tried to calm her down but she was grouchy from being woken up the way she had been and gave him a look, Shinji kept his peace. She stretched and walked off to her room, Shinji stared after her until he realized she had forgotten her homework.  
  
"Asuka!" he said running after her.  
  
She opened her door. "What?"  
  
"Here, Toji brought your homework." He said holding some papers out.  
  
She took them and went back in her room. Shinji looked at the door for a moment then went to complete his homework.  
  
Asuka sat at her desk and finished her work in half an hour, she was a collage graduate and with a dictionary for the kanji she could do the problems easily. Once done, she went out to continue watching TV. She noticed that Shinji was still in his room and paid him a visit.  
  
"Shinji?" she asked knocking on the door. "Are you finished?"  
  
"No, not yet." He answered from behind the door.  
  
Asuka went in, a surprised Shinji looked at her. She went over to him and leaned down to help him with his homework, Asuka knew that Shinji was a little embarrassed by her current position and she enjoyed making him blush. She did two for him and he quickly caught on and finished the rest himself. That done Asuka told Shinji to go and make dinner for her, he went. She snickered at how red she was able to make him and followed him out.  
  
Asuka spent her night watching TV and then eating dinner with Shinji, since she was still sick he had made chicken porridge for dinner. It was good, after dinner Asuka decided that TV was getting old so she took out a book Hikari had lend her a while ago. Shinji washed the dishes, left something in the fridge for Misato, and put a plate of fresh fish in front of Pen-Pen's fridge. He said good night to Asuka and went to bed. Asuka returned the good night from her place on the couch and continued reading. After another chapter she went to bed too, as she was getting in bed after a shower Shinji came knocking on her door. Putting an extra coat on, her nightgown was kinda revealing, she answered. Shinji was also in his pajamas, it seems that he had just fallen asleep when he woke with a start and remembered that she had forgotten to take her pills for the night and brought them over with a glass of water. She took the pills in the doorway, thanked him and Shinji returned to bed.  
  
(A/N: To see Asuka as SHinji brings her the pills go to- pic 10)  
  
"He is considerate." She said to herself. "And extremely cute when he's embarrassed."  
  
She crawled under the covers and went to sleep, and her roommate in the next room doing the same.  
  
A/N: As always, authors love reviews. Also available is my other story "Evangelion, Children of Humanity: Guardian Angel". Just check out my profile to find it.   
  
Later. - 


	9. Beginnings of Something

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Chapter 9 is here, knock yourself out. Hey! I'm really happy right now - I just bought the "Ayanami Raising Project"! It's great, except for the fact that is in Japanese, but I have a dictionary so no biggi! Anyway, just wanted to spread the joy…now on with the fic!  
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: I own a copy of the Ayanami game that's it. I don't own anything else. /--  
  
(Special Thanks to ST Pika a.k.a. fanfic god, for his help in this chapter.)  
  
Daylight poured in through Shinji Ikari's window, spreading over his face and causing his eyes to slowly open. He had slept facing the wall and as he yawned and turned over his eyes met with what he thought was fire on his bed. As he was about to scream he noticed that it wasn't hot, on closer examination he realized that it was hair. He gulped.  
  
'How many people do I know in the whole city that has red hair?' he thought. 'Only one…'  
  
"ASUKA!?" he screamed.  
  
The mound of red shifted and the girl got up, gave a big yawn and scratched her head.  
  
"Huh…?"   
  
"Asuka! What…What are you doing in my room…and my bed!?" he shrieked not in anger but horror, confusion, and embarrassment. Asuka looked at him sleepily and yawned again, however, she stopped in mid yawn and looked around her.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed. "WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HERE!?"  
  
"That's what I want to know." Shinji said.  
  
She turned on the boy cowering under his covers.  
  
"You!" she yelled, "You moved me in here after I fell asleep didn't you? You sick pervert!"  
  
(A/N: A pic of Asuka acsuing Shinji- pic 11)  
  
"Wh..What!?" he stammered. "I wouldn't do that! Besides, I think you'd notice if you were being carried out of a bed, across the hall and into another."  
  
"Ha! See!? You had it all planned out! Taking advantage of a sick girl!" she yelled and slapped him across the face. "Sick perverted baka!!"  
  
"Ouch! Hey!" he rubbed his cheek. "I'm not guilty! I didn't do anything to you yesterday when you were out of it, nor at night!"  
  
"Then explain how I got in here!" she said pinning him on the bed. "Cuss I didn't walk in here by myself!"  
  
"Actually Asuka, that's exactly what happened."   
  
The two teens turned at the voice, Misato Katsurigi stood at the door dressed in a tight yellow t-shirt and extra short jean-shorts and an evil grin on her face.  
  
"What did you say?" Asuka asked as Shinji whimpered from under her hold.  
  
"After I got back last night and had dinner, I was gonna go to bed when I saw you walking out of your room and into Shinji's. I went in to see what was going on and found you in his bed fast asleep." Misato said coming into the room. "I of course, tried to get you up and out of here but you'd just turn over and say how you want to be with your 'Shinji-kun'. I couldn't wake you."  
  
Asuka knew about her sleep walking problems but since they hadn't occurred for a few years now she thought she had gotten over it. Apparently, that was a mistake. Asuka blushed a shade of red that was so deep it could easily put her Eva's paint job to shame.  
  
"I thought you wanted Shinji so badly," Misato said teasingly. "Why are you choking him?"  
  
Asuka released the gasping Shinji from her hold and he fell off the bed.  
  
"ow…" he said in between gasps.  
  
"Did you two have fun?" Misato asked innocently. "Should I book an appointment with Dr. Akagi for a pregnancy test?"  
  
"MISATO!!" the two yelled while each out doing the other in turning red as a tomato.  
  
She laughed and walked out of the room still laughing her head off.  
  
Shinji and Asuka exchanged glances and Asuka finally stood up.  
  
"Erm..sorry for…" she began.  
  
"The accusation, the choking, the invasion of privacy and the shock?" he asked.  
  
"Emm..yeah…"   
  
"It's alright." He said.  
  
"Oh, did you enjoy it then?" Asuka asked in the same tone Misato had used.  
  
"What?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Sleeping wit-I mean, 'next' to me."   
  
"NO!! Oh…er..a little?" he said, not being able to lie that well.  
  
Asuka bent down and tapped him on the cheek lightly with her palm.  
  
"Knew it, little hentai pervert." She said smiling. She left after that to clean up for the coming day.  
  
'Oh god,' Shinji thought as he breath a sigh of relief. 'At lease she didn't notice that my little friend woke up.'  
  
Indeed, part of his pants was bulging. Shinji sat back on his bed.  
  
'Well, at least now I know that she likes me…that make things a little easier.' He thought.  
  
Breakfast was subdued, as far as the two pilots went, Misato was still laughing too hard.  
  
"Shinji." Asuka said suddenly.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do not, I repeat, do not, tell anyone about what happened this morning." She said seriously.  
  
"Oh…as you wish…" he said, but inside he felt uneasy.  
  
'Why is she so scared of others knowing…is she afraid of the rumors and gossip? Or…' he thought 'Is she ashamed to admit she likes me…am I that bad?'  
  
Asuka told Shinji to keep quiet about the incident for fear of what others would say and the negative attention she'd get. She liked attention, but not when it involves the entire female population telling her to stay off Shinji, who sort of had a fan club at school. Not that he was aware of it. And she could just imagine harassment and annoyance the guys who wanted to date her would cause. She stole a look at Shinji, he had stopped eating and look really sad, sadder than was normal for him, which was bordering on depression. She wondered if her request had done something but she couldn't imagine what.  
  
Little Asuka: You are cold-hearted aren't you? You made him feel unwanted and unworthy of your recognition. Isn't that your deepest fear?  
  
Asuka: No! Not you again!! I don't need my past telling me what to do!  
  
Little Asuka: The past always stays with the person…  
  
Asuka: Get away!  
  
Little Asuka: Why did you do that to him?  
  
Asuka: What did I do?  
  
Little Asuka disappeared and reappeared in Asuka's face.: You made him feel worthless.  
  
Asuka: No! I just…didn't want people talking…  
  
Little Asuka: No, you lie. You are putting your fears on him to make yourself feel better.   
  
Asuka: Bullshit!   
  
Little Asuka: Oh really?   
  
Asuka: Yeah!  
  
The little Asuka faded from view with a laugh.  
  
Asuka: Hey! What the hell…   
  
Asuka: I didn't mean it…honest….  
  
Voice: Asuka?  
  
Misato "Asuka?"  
  
Asuka jerked out of her daydreaming.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked.  
  
"You were out of it for a while…" Misato said concerned.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm fine." She said.  
  
Misato looked unsure.   
  
"Well, ok." She said finally. "But you stay at home today and get some rest, we don't want that cold to come back now do we?"  
  
Asuka agreed and Shinji left to change and go to school.  
  
Asuka watched him go.  
  
"Aren't you gonna go tell him?" Misato asked.  
  
"Huh?" Asuka asked.  
  
"Well, your last comment to him obviously had some negative impact…that you didn't intend." The woman said.  
  
"How did you…" Asuka asked in astonishment.  
  
"They don't put just anyone as director of operations of Nerv, I am very perceptive."  
  
Asuka looked back at Shinji's door.  
  
"Go on…" Misato urged. "I'll be going to work now."  
  
Misato said that to give the two some privacy and left, Asuka went to his door and knocked.  
  
"What?" was the answer.  
  
He sounded like he was a little angry. Asuka bit her lip and went in.  
  
"Shinji," she said, he looked at her. She stared into his dark blue eyes, he stared into her sky blue ones. "I…I didn't mean…earlier…I didn't mean that you are a disgrace to me…it's just that….well, you saw those stooges yesterday. Think of the uproar…"  
  
"I understand, it's ok Asuka." He said. "Em…I need to change…"  
  
Asuka nodded and left the room.  
  
Shinji put on his school uniform and grabbed his school bag, as he went out he waved goodbye to him roommate who returned it from the living room.  
  
Asuka slumped in her seat, TV was getting pointless. She sighed and went to the phone as she dialed she realized that her friends were all at school.  
  
"Verdamnit!" she cursed.  
  
She thought for a moment and remembered something that she could do. Asuka went into her room and dressed comfortably, scribbling a note to Misato or Shinji she left the apartment for the Nerv testing grounds.  
  
Meanwhile…  
  
Shinji walked alone to school until he met Toji at the entrance.   
  
"Hey man, how's our own Eva-01 pilot doing today huh?" he greeted.  
  
"I'm good." Shinji answered.  
  
They went inside the classroom together, Shinji noticed Rei staring out the window, Kensuke filming her, and Hikari trying to stop him but being prevented by the fact that there was a group of boys in front of her desk hitting on her. This caught Toji's immediate attention.  
  
"Bastards." He said and went over there.  
  
Shinji sighed and went to his desk, sitting down, he powered up his terminal and checked to see if Asuka was online at home. She wasn't, so he pulled up his personal files and opened up his pictures folder. After checking to see if anyone was looking, he flipped through the pictures he had collected and scanned into the computer of Asuka. He smiled at the picture of her in an intensive volleyball match.  
  
'She has such drive…unlike me…' he thought.  
  
Just then a few of Hikari's would be Casanovas ran screaming by after Toji's successful attempt at breaking up the crowd. Shinji shut off his computer and the sensei came in at that moment. Shinji spent the whole day of class daydreaming about that morning, but he dared not breath a word to anyone.  
  
Asuka had taken a taxi and charged it to Nerv, she went in past a guard who recognized her and saluted. She repeated the gesture and headed for the stables. Shadow was asleep, Pegasus was moving around restlessly in his stable and her own Lodernd was chewing on some hay.  
  
"Hey boy." She said and stroked the animal's forehead, it neighed lightly. Asuka smiled and saddled up the horse and mounted. She had opened the gates and now she led her horse out for a bit of ridding. This particular Nerv testing ground was quite large, stretching all the way to some nearby hills. Asuka found a stream and rode along its banks up the hills, she rode to the top where she found a nice field overlooking the entire area. Keeping an eye on the Nerv buildings, she let Lodernd trot around and stretch his legs. After a while Lodernd slowed and stopped by the stream for a drink, Asuka looked around her and remembered how much she loved the feeling of riding in such a beautiful place.   
  
Asuka led Lodernd to a nearby tree and tied him down, she sat near the stream and took a breath. She felt a lot better, this was better for her cold then being stuck in the apartment. Asuka felt peaceful and fell asleep there.   
  
When school let out Shinji declined Toji and Kensuke's invitation to go to the arcade with them. He went directly home and wondered how Asuka's cold was. When he went in the apartment Pen-Pen waddled up to him, a yellow piece of paper under its wing.  
  
"What's that Pen-Pen, and where's Asuka?"  
  
"Wark!" it replied and held the paper behind its back.  
  
Shinji laughed and dug around his bag and took out a chocolate bar left from his lunch.  
  
"Here, now can I see it?"  
  
Pen-Pen happily took the treat and gave Shinji the note, it ran back to its fridge and shut the door tight behind it. Shinji turned his attention to the note, the Kanji was poor but Shinji could just make it out. It read:  
  
Dear Misato or Shinji,  
  
Went riding at Nerv Test grounds. Be back later, I have my cell with me.  
  
Love,  
  
Asuka L. Sorhyu  
  
"Ah…" Shinji said and went out the door.  
  
After some time Asuka was awakened by Lodernd's neighs. Asuka stretched and went over to pat Lodernd's mane, with that she mounted. Asuka pulled on the reins, Lodernd reared up and bolted towards the Nerv buildings. Asuka leaned down close to the beast and dug her heels in, she enjoyed the rush and had Lodernd charge straight to the barn. As she drew close the gates opened and Pegasus charged out, Shinji on its back. Asuka gasped and stopped Lodernd. Shinji rode up to Asuka and smiled.  
  
"Got your note." He said.  
  
"Is school out already?" Asuka asked. "Have I been out here that long?"  
  
"I guess…" Shinji said and moved Pegasus a little closer. "Still want to stay out for a little longer?"  
  
"That sounds good." Asuka said and the two rode together to the hill Asuka had visited earlier.  
  
They stopped at the top and watched as the sun set on Tokyo-3. Shinji motioned to Asuka and led his horse to a tree and tied it down, Asuka followed suit. They went to the edge of the clearing and sat down on the grass.  
  
"How do you feel now?" he asked.  
  
"My cold? Much better, thanks." Asuka said.  
  
Shinji looked back at the reddish-orange setting sun.  
  
(A/N: TO see the two watching the sunset go to- Pic 12)  
  
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Asuka asked.  
  
"Yeah…like your hair…" Shinji said.  
  
"Oh?" Asuka asked, a little surprised, but pleased at the same time. "Really? Is my hair that pretty?"  
  
'Crap! Did I say that aloud!?' Shinji panicked.  
  
"Uh…of course." Shinji said quickly, hoping he said the right thing.  
  
"Why thank you Shinji." Asuka said, stroking her hair.  
  
The wind began to pick up and Asuka took off her neural-connecter hair clips, her hair swept behind her and Shinji watched mesmerized. Asuka saw him and blushed.  
  
"Can't take your eyes off huh?" Asuka asked.  
  
Shinji shook his head.  
  
"Just keep them above the neck you hear?" she said with a grin.  
  
Shinji's mouth opened slightly but no sounds cam out, he tried again.  
  
"Auska…do you think…that we could…." He began.  
  
She put a finger on his lips.  
  
"Maybe, but now I just want to sit here and watch the sunset." She said smiling.  
  
Shinji nodded and moved a little closer. She didn't seem to mind, in fact, she started to lean her head on his shoulder.  
  
"No funny stuff, or things won't happen the way it could." She said,  
  
"Of course Asuka." He replied and sat with her on that hill until the sun was completely gone from view.  
  
A/N: As always, authors love reviews.   
  
Later. - 


	10. Misato's Plan

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Chapter 10 is here, knock yourself out. You like me! You really like me! Well…most of you anyway…but still I'm very happy and I promise to keep writing. And once again, I must voice that I am a horse-riding nut. People who can't respect that and constantaly bug me about that are asked to leave. And again, sorry for the bad format, if anyone can figure out how to put paragraphs in, I would be very greatful if you could tell me. Thanks!  
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: Why do I bother!? God knows I don't own Eva!  
  
Shinji and Asuka arrived back home at around 6:30p.m.. After watching the sunset they had taken the subway home and encountered a lot of people coming home from work so they were delayed. Misato came out from the showers and met them in the dinning room.   
  
"Back are you?" she said and winked. "Went running after her didn't you Shinji?"  
  
"What are you…?" Shinji asked, confused.  
  
Misato flashed the note Asuka had left.  
  
"Saw this and was worried huh?" she asked.  
  
Shinji blushed and turned to the kitchen, say that he'd like to start dinner. Misato giggled and ushered Asuka to the living room.  
  
"What did you guys do?" Misato asked expectantly.  
  
"What are you say!?" Asuka demanded indignity. "Nothing you would have done I'll say that!"  
  
Asuka turned and stomped into her room and then to the bathroom with a change of clothes. Misato smiled and pulled two disks out of her pocket.  
  
'A good idea…time for a little fun…' she thought. 'But they'll thank me in the end.'  
  
When Shinji announced dinner two women and a penguin rushed to the table.  
  
"Geez…didn't you guys have lunch?" Shinji asked.  
  
"No." both women replied.  
  
"Wark!" Pen-Pen said eagerly.  
  
"You had a chocolate bar!" Shinji said.  
  
"Wark…" it said sadly.  
  
Shinji handed Asuka and Misato a heaping plate of curry rice. For the penguin he gave it a plate of its favorite food, caned sardines with salt. Pen-Pen was satisfied and ate quietly. Shinji got himself a plate of rice and sat with the others at the table. Asuka looked up from her plate.  
  
"Shinji how come you aren't eating that much?" she asked.  
  
"Um…I don't feel that hungry." He said spooning some into his mouth. "In fact, I didn't even finish my lunch today."  
  
"Oh…" Asuka said. "You sure you don't want some of mine?"  
  
"No, really, thanks though." Shinji said.  
  
Misato stared at Asuka with a look that she would have if she saw Kaji shave.  
  
"What?" the redhead asked.  
  
"Is your cold back?" Misato asked. "You usually eat like a horse…"  
  
"And just what is that suppose to mean!?" Asuka yelled.  
  
"Girls, girls, let's settle down." Shinji suggested, smiling weakly. 'It's like trying to stop an N2 mine…' he thought as Asuka stared daggers at Misato.  
  
After dinner Misato took a can of Yebisu and retired to her room, Asuka did the same. Shinji was in the kitchen washing the dishes, when he finished at last he went back to his own room. As he passed Asuka's room he heard music, curious as to what she was listening to, he pressed his ears against the door.  
  
Somewhere there's speaking  
  
It's already coming in  
  
Oh, and it's rising at the back of your mind  
  
You never could get it  
  
Unless you were fed it  
  
Now you're here and you don't know why  
  
But under skinned knees  
  
And the skid marks  
  
Past the places where you used to learn  
  
You howl and listen  
  
Listen and wait for the  
  
Echoes of angels who won't return  
  
He's everything you want  
  
He's everything you need  
  
He's everything inside of you  
  
That you wish you could be  
  
He says all the right things  
  
At exactly the right time  
  
But he means nothing to you  
  
And you don't know why  
  
You're waiting for someone  
  
To put you together  
  
You're waiting for someone to push you away  
  
There's always another  
  
Wound to discover  
  
There's always something more you wish he'd say  
  
He's everything you want  
  
He's everything you need  
  
He's everything inside of you  
  
That you wish you could be  
  
He says all the right things  
  
At exactly the right time  
  
But he means nothing to you  
  
And you don't know why  
  
But you'll just sit tight  
  
And watch it unwind  
  
It's only what you're asking for  
  
And you'll be just fine  
  
With all of your time  
  
It's only what you're waiting for  
  
Out of the island  
  
Into the highway  
  
Past the places where you might have turned  
  
You never did notice  
  
But you still hide away  
  
The anger of angels who won't return  
  
He's everything you want  
  
He's everything you need  
  
He's everything inside of you  
  
That you wish you could be  
  
He says all the right things  
  
At exactly the right time  
  
But he means nothing to you  
  
And you don't know why  
  
I am everything you want  
  
I am everything you need  
  
I am everything inside of you  
  
That you wish you could be  
  
I say all the right things  
  
At exactly the right time  
  
But I mean nothing to you  
  
And I don't know why  
  
And I don't know  
  
Why  
  
Why  
  
And I don't know  
  
As the music stopped Shinji heard Asuka sigh.  
  
"Shinji…"  
  
He got away from the door and went back to his room.  
  
"Who knew?" he asked himself and flopped onto his bed.  
  
It was Friday, only one more day until the weekend. Misato had decided that Asuka was well enough for school and sent her and Shinji to school early. So Asuka walked down the streets with Shinji, munching on some toast they had grabbed before Misato had thrown them out with their school bags.  
  
"Wonder why Misato was in such a hurry to get us out…" Shinji said.  
  
"I don't know." Asuka said.  
  
"Did you finish your homework from yesterday?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Course."  
  
They made small talk all the way to school, they were really early, even the class rep hadn't arrived yet. They went to their classroom and sat down in their seats. Shinji stared up his computer and was checking his email, more junk from girls wanting a date so he politely declined every one of them.  
  
"Don't see why you bother," a voice said. "I just shred the ones I get from boys."  
  
Shinji turned his head and saw Asuka leaning over his shoulder from behind chair.  
  
"Hey, what's that Shinji?" she asked suddenly looking closer.  
  
"Oh! I..er No! Don't open that!" Shinji screamed as Asuka reached over his right shoulder to his keyboard and opened his personal pictures file.  
  
A welcome screen with hearts popped up and in seconds all the pictures he had of Asuka were displayed in mini windows.   
  
"…" Asuka.  
  
Shinji didn't want to see her reaction, he was still to frightened of her mood swings and temper. So he waited for her to say something and hope that she wouldn't smack him.  
  
"Wow Shinji…" she said after looking through the files a bit. "Where on earth did you get all this…I doubt even I have this many pictures of myself."  
  
"Er…I called in some favors from a lot of people," Shinji answered. "And a few I took myself."  
  
"You didn't take any pictures of me when I was undressed or in the showers did you?" Asuka asked as she leaned her head closer to his right ear.  
  
"No! I swear I did not!" Shinji exclaimed.  
  
"Hmm…" Asuka scrolled down the files again. "Ok…fine…but I want some of yours too."  
  
"Huh?" Shinji asked, he was not sure what was going on. She wasn't mad…and she wanted…?  
  
"I'm asking for some pictures of you, baka." She said smiling.  
  
"…Ok…I'll.....wait…" he turned back to his computer and searched for his own photos. He found eight, which he saved onto a floppy. "Here."  
  
"Thanks." Asuka said.  
  
That minute Hikari walked in, Asuka went passed Shinji with a small touch on the shoulders and went to greet her best friend. Shinji watched her go and turned back to his computer, now he pulled up a word document in which were the words.  
  
Asuka Langley Encounters  
  
[Score Big!: 4   
  
Get Smacked/Punched/Kicked etc: 37]  
  
Shinji looked at the words then changed the four to a five.  
  
"Getting better." He said happily and maximized the pictures window again.  
  
School was boring that day, except for the fight at lunch between Asuka and Toji, which he lost, because he was still hesitant to hit a girl. Too bad for him, Asuka didn't have any problems with punching him in the gut. From what Shinji learned from Hikari, Toji had called Asuka something really rude and got her really mad. The principle broke up the fight and gave both of them a week's detention. Asuka was in a furious mood during their walk home.  
  
"That verfluchter Gammler!" Asuka raged. "A week! That jock stared the whole thing!"  
  
"So…what did happen?" Shinji asked cautiously  
  
"I was going to eat lunch with Hikari when that idiot came over, asked if he could talk alone with her and I told him if he had something to say he could just say it. Then he called me annoying demon bitch-" Asuka explained.  
  
"Eh?" Shinji interrupted.   
  
"Yeah! I know!" Asuka said hotly. "That rotten bumpkin!"  
  
"He probably just wanted to ask Hikari out, you know how they are Asuka." Shinji said.  
  
"Yeah, but that doesn't give him the right to insult me like that!" Asuka said, then she looked at him. "You're not helping him are you?"  
  
"What?" Shinji exclaimed. "No! I'm not getting involved, neither of you were right."  
  
Asuka turned angrily and increased her pace.  
  
"Hey! Wait up!" Shinji yelled struggling to keep pace.  
  
Asuka didn't respond, Shinji had to run flat out to catch up.  
  
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, panting.  
  
She glared at him. "I can't belief you're not agreeing with me!"   
  
"Look! I have my opinions and my views!" Shinji shot.  
  
"So you're saying I was wrong!?" Asuka yelled.  
  
"I never said that!" Shinji yelled back.  
  
Already angry about the incident, now with Shinji's arguing added, Asuka's anger flared and she slapped him across the face hard enough to knock him to the floor.  
  
"..oow…" he moaned from the floor.  
  
Asuka glared at his form for a moment before her eyes flickered.  
  
"Oh my god!" she cried. "Shinji!"  
  
She knelt down and cradled his head.  
  
"Shinji! Are you ok!?" she cried as she checked his head for signs of injury. "Oh Shinji I'm sorry!"  
  
"Ow…geez…Asuka…." He said.  
  
"Shinji!" she cried happily and hugged him, in her panic and then joy she accidentally pinned his head against her chest in her hug.  
  
"Ah…Ah…Asuka!" he yelled.  
  
She looked down and quickly released him, blushing furiously.   
  
"…sorry…" Asuka said.  
  
"Oh…it's er, ok. I'm unhurt…I think…" he said and tried to get up.  
  
Asuka helped him and they proceeded the rest of the way home in silence, Asuka holding on to Shinji's arm in case he felt dizzy.  
  
They arrived at the door to their apartment soon and Asuka slid her key card through the slot and they went inside.  
  
"Shinji! What happened!?" Misato asked as she saw them come in and the blood from his nose. She rushed over from her place on the couch.  
  
"Nothing, just tripped and fell." Shinji quickly before Asuka could answer.  
  
Asuka gave him a small look, he didn't acknowledge it.  
  
"Oh, so how was school?" Misato asked as she went back into the living room.  
  
"Great." Shinji said, beating Asuka again.  
  
"Kay." Misato said. "Don't have to cook today Shinji, I ordered in. After dinner the three of us are going to have a talk."  
  
The two children exchanged looks, wondering if Misato knew about Asuka's incident at school. Asuka helped Shinji to his room and sat down on his bed with him.  
  
"Thanks for not telling Misato," Asuka said. "She would've grounded me…"  
  
"Sure Asuka, you know I wouldn't tell." Shinji answered.  
  
"Oh..yeah…thanks anyway." She said.  
  
Shinji smiled and suggested that she let him change so Asuka left his room to go change herself.  
  
After a dinner of three large pizzas, Misato ordered the two teens to the living room couch. She stood in front of them, hands on her hips.  
  
"So…guess what I'm p.o.ed about?" the woman asked.  
  
"Um…our synch scores?" Asuka guessed.  
  
"Wrong." Misato said and pulled out two disks from her pocket, the kids paled.  
  
"That's right, your report cards…and I've been very disappointed by your grades." She said holding them up.  
  
Asuka crossed her arms, "That means nothing, it's the stupid kanji's fault that I can't pass the tests."  
  
"Shinji?" Misato asked.  
  
"oh…I…just have trouble with remembering some of the stuff…" he said, head down.  
  
"I see…." Misato said, now with her evil grin. "Well I have the perfect solution."  
  
The two pilots waited.  
  
"Remember the 7th Angel training?" Misato asked.  
  
"Yeah." They answered.  
  
"That's what you're going to do again." She said. "You will live together for a month, Shinji will help Asuka with the kanji, Asuka will help Shinji with the work itself. During this time you are not allowed to go anywhere except for school and Nerv. By the end of the month your grades have better improved…or the month will be doubled. And I don't think you'll like being in this apartment for two months."  
  
The two shocked children stared at their guardian and commanding officer. Asuka opened her mouth to protest but Misato simply held her hand up and told them that the discussion was over. She then told them that she had a appointment with Kaji and Ritsuko at the local bar and left. The two sat still for a minute before they looked at each other.  
  
"So I guess we'll be spending some time together huh?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Yeah, but that's not the bad part, it's the 'no going anywhere' part." Asuka said leaned back on the couch.  
  
"Guess you didn't escape a grounding after all." Shinji joked.  
  
"Hey!" Asuka yelled.  
  
Laughing, Asuka chased Shinji around the house for a while before finally cornering him in his room. She pushed him onto the bed.  
  
"Neither did you." She said.  
  
Shinji laughed and threw a pillow at her, the ensuing pillow fight left Shinji begging for mercy as Asuka ruthlessly pummeled him with his own pillow. Afterwards they dragged their bedding to the living room and laid down. As they watched TV Shinji turned to Asuka.  
  
"You know Asuka…we are…well I mean, can we-" he tried to say.  
  
Asuka looked at him. "If you're trying to ask me out then I'm afraid you can't."  
  
"Huh?" Shinji asked, confused.   
  
'Oh my god, she doesn't want to.' He thought.  
  
Asuka gave him a grin, "We're grounded silly.'  
  
Shinji stared at her then burst into laughter.  
  
"Did I scare you?" Asuka asked.  
  
"Oh yeah." Shinji answered.  
  
Asuka didn't reply but leaned against Shinji and fell asleep soon. Shinji saw her snoring and turned off the TV, he put an arm around her.  
  
"Good night Asuka."  
  
(A/N: TO see the two lovebirds sleeping together, go to- pic 13)  
  
When Misato Katsurigi came back she was drunk as hell, but when she saw the two on the living room floor, surrounded by pillows, bedding, and blankets, she laughed to herself.   
  
"Your plans always work Katsurigi!" she laughed. "On wonder you're Nerv's operations Director!"  
  
Laughing, she stumbled to her room and fell on top of her bed, knocking herself out. Pen Pen, who saw the whole thing, sighed, shook his head sadly, and poped open a can of beer.  
  
A/N: I know Asuka and Shinji are both OCC but I don't think its that much of a problem, it works for my story. The Song above is "Everything You Want" by Vertical Horrizon, there's a great Eva music viedo to it and that is what I got the ispiration for this fic from. As always, authors love reviews. Later. - 


	11. Angel Virus

Meant for One Another

A/N: Chapter 11 is here, knock yourself out.

(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)

Disclaimer: Tell me this, if I owned Eva…do you really think I'd be writing fanfics?

Asuka and Shinji stirred as the morning light flooded the apartment windows, Shinji was first to open his eyes and smiled at seeing Asuka curled up next to him. Deciding not to wake her yet, he went to get cleaned up and then began to cook breakfast. As he began beating the eggs for the omelets, a pair of hands wrapped around his waist.

"Guten Morgen Shinji." Asuka said.

Shinji put down his utensils and took hold of her hands.

"Good morning Auska," he said turning around. "You're up already?"

"I heard the clanking from the kitchen." Asuka said.

"Oh, sorry." Shinji said.

"It's alright." Asuka said with a wink. "I'm gonna hit the showers, no salt on mine kay?"

Shinji nodded and Asuka went to take her shower, turning back to his work, Shinji finished cooking just before Asuka came out. They hugged again, this time however…

A loud catcall type whistle was heard, the two spotted Misato in the doorway laughing and clapping. They separated quickly and blushed.

"What?' Misato asked. "There's nothing wrong with showing your affections."

Shinji looked around and said that he would bring out the plates, Asuka said she'd help and the two rushed inside the kitchen. Misato was left chuckling to herself.

Inside, Shinji was handing some plates to Asuka.

"You know, Misato's right." Shinji said. "We shouldn't be embarrassed."

"I know but…" Asuka replied. "I've never been one to show others how I feel."

"What about the tantrums you throw?" Shinji asked.

Asuka kicked his shins lightly.

"Baka, you know that's only what I let others see." She retorted.

"Oh yeah…"

"Hey! What's taking you guys!? Make out later!! I'm hungry!" Misato called from outside.

"Wark!" a second voice said.

Asuka rolled her eyes and Shinji smiled in agreement, they carried the plates and food out to the dinning room and had breakfast with their guardian and the house penguin.

After breakfast, the two teens were planning a relaxing day at home when Misato spoiled their plans with the news of a Synch Test that afternoon. They had two hours before they had to go so Asuka decided to drag Shinji in her room and get him to listen to something other that sad classical music. She put a Metallica CD in the stereo and stared shaking her head to "Devil's Dance" as Shinji covered his ears from the noise. Shinji spotted a CD on the tablethat sparked his interest, on the cover was a women spinning upside down with a reddish background behind her. At the top were the words:

"Vertical Horizon

Everything You Want"

Shinji looked at it with interest, Asuka however, had noticed Shinji looking at her prized CD.

"You like that one?" she asked, turning Metallica down a little.

Shinji scanned the list of songs on the back, his eyes stopped on track three.

"Do you listen to this one a lot?" Shinji asked.

Asuka looked at the one he was pointing at, "Oh…sometimes."

Shinji asked her to put it on which she did, Shinji sat with Asuka on her bed as it played.

"He's everything you want

He's everything you need

He's everything inside of you

That you wish you could be

He says all the right things

At exactly the right time

But he means nothing to you

And you don't know why"

Shinji's hand rested on top of Asuka's, she looked down at their hands and smiled.

"You are everything I want…" she whispered.

At around 11a.m. Misato told them to get changed and soon they were on the way to Nerv.

"The horses again?" Asuka asked from the backseat.

"No, just some upgrades to the Eva's basic programming." Misato answered as she swerved past another car that was driving at the speed limit. She was way over that by now.

Shinji looked out the window but the blur was making him sick so he turned to look at Asuka instead. She saw him and leaned over.

"We still have two years before we can drive!" she whispered. "Two years of this woman's driving! I can't understand why they'd let us pilot fifty-story robots but not a car!"

Shinji chuckled. "It's not that bad…"

The car's brakes screeched and the car spun in a 180 turn and drove down another street.

"On second thought, you're right." Shinji said, looking for a paper bag.

When they arrived Misato left them at the lockers and returned to Central Dogma. As they were about to go and change into their plug suits, Akagi appeared, followed by Rei.

"Hold on." She said, the two turned. "We are doing something different today."

"And?" Asuka asked.

"We want to see how well the pilots can synch without the aid of their plug suits and neural connectors. This is being done in order to gather the most current information on the harmonics directly from your bodies.." The Doctor said.

"Wait a minute…" Shinji said slowly as what she said got through.

"You want us to go in naked!?" Asuka demanded.

"Yes, those are your orders, report to lab-04 ASAP." Akagi said and left.

Asuka looked speechlessly at Shinji, then they looked at Rei.

"Er…" Shinji said. "How do we get to lab-04 if we're going to be…nude?"

Rei looked blankly at him. "Dr. Akagi has advised that we should wrap ourselves in a towel and remove that upon arrival, though I do not see the point."

Asuka glared at her, "You may not! But I refuse to walk down Nerv with nothing but a towel on! God knows how many perverts in this place!"

Rei looked at her for a second. "You do not have a choice Pilot Sohryu." She said and went in the girl's locker.

Shinji and Asuka turned red at the thought of what they were being asked to do.

"What kind of world savior has to walk around base naked?" Asuka retorted and went in to undress, Shinji went in to the boy's locker to do the same.

Asuka took off the jeans and sweater she had worn to Nerv and stuffed them in her locker, next to her, Rei was already completely undressed and was taking out a pale blue towel, which she draped over her shoulders. Then she moved towards the exit.

"Hey! You're not going out like that are you wondergirl!?" Asuka yelled and ran over and dragged her back in.

"What is the problem Pilot Sohryu?" she asked.

"Well…that towel barely hides anything!" Asuka exclaimed.

Rei stared blankly and looked down.

"…"

Asuka groaned and pulled Rei to her locker, she dug out a clean large red towel and wrapped it around Rei's upper body, using Rei's blue towel to wrap her waist.

"There, now that's better." Asuka said.

Rei looked in the mirror, then at Asuka.

"Thank you." She said and left.

Asuka sighed and finished undressing herself and warped her self in another towel. She exited the locker and spotted Shinji waiting outside with a large purple towel around his waist.

"Looking great Asuka." He joked as she approached.

"I'll bet." She snarled and whacked him on the head lightly. "You dream about this don't you hentai baka?"

"Sorry, Sorry," Shinji said quickly. "And no I don't and also I'm not a hentai."

Asuka laughed, "Of course you are, now get!"

She pushed behind him and they moved quickly to lab-04 as specified by Dr. Akagi. They caught some stares from the staff as they went, Asuka looked really hot for a fourteen year old and Shinji was considered cute by most females.

But a glare from Asuka sent them back to work, her temper was infamous in Tokyo-Three. They arrived at the lab and caught up with Ayanami. When they had all gathered Dr. Akagi's voice came through the speakers on the walls.

"Ok, take off your towels and move into the separate stalls." She commanded.

"Not with the whole bridge watching!" Asuka yelled.

"The cameras will be shut off while you do this." Akagi assured them.

They watched the blinking red lights on the cameras die, then Rei threw off her towels and went in the stall labeled "00". Shinji looked at Asuka.

"No, you first." Asuka said.

Shinji turned red as Eva-02, he carefully took off his towel and went inside stall "01". Asuka looked again to see if the cameras were still off, then she took her towels of and went inside stall "02".

(A/N: TO see the three Children in their stalls go to- pic 14)

"There!" Asuka yelled. "Now what!?"

Akagi had the pilots go through seventeen different rooms for decontamination before she ordered them into their entry plugs and then placed into test only Evangelion units.

Shinji looked around the plug. 'Damn it's cold.' He thought.

"Pilots?" Akagi said. "Try moving the Evangelion a little."

Ritsuko: How are you feeling.

Rei tried. "Something is different."

"Yes. Something is different from the other times." Shinji added.

"Something is wrong with my senses. Only the right arm is clear, and the rest is dim." Asuka agreed.

Ritsuko ordered a double systems check.

Shingeru looked at his moniter. "Ma'am. It is the parts which were brought in three days ago. This must be the parts where change is found."

"87th protein wall..." Makoto said.

"Some spots can be seen when enlarged. What are those?" Aoba asked.

Makoto looked over at his screen. "Must be corrosion. There are a small change in the temperature and conductivity. Deterioration of a sterilized room happens often, often recently."

"The construction schedule was shortened by 60 days or so, so the air bubbles must have gotten in. There are a lot of holes on the quality of the construction work of B Wing." Aoba said and frowned.

"That part was done after the Angels appeared, right?" Maya asked.

"We can't blame them. Everyone is tired." Makoto said, leaning back in his chair.

Ritsuko wanted to continue with the tests, it was of great importance that they gather this information about the Evas. As they try to do that, an alert sounded.

"What's happening?" Ritsuko demanded.

"Contamination alert on the Sigma Unit A Floor." an officer reported.

"87th wall is deteriorating, and releasing heat." another said.

Ritsuko looked alarmed and went to check Maya's computer.

"Abnormality found on the 6th pipe, too." someone reported.

"Corrosion of the protein wall is spreading. The speed is explosive." Maya said anxiously.

The risk was now too great. "Abort the test. Shut down the 6th pipe." Ritsuko ordered.

Maya nodded and began the procedures.

"60, 38, 39, all were shut down. Corrosion found on 6-42" an officer said.

"No effect. The corrosion spreads along the walls!" Maya yelled.

Ritsuko ordered the Polysomes released, the mini robots moved towards the infected wall and began shooting lasers at the spot.

Maya looked at the readouts and screamed "The corrosion have reached 6-58. Coming!"

Rei screamed inside her plug.

"Rei!!" Misato yelled, she had been watching the whole time but she didn't think it would be this bad..

"Rei's simulation Eva is moving!" Maya yelled. "Corrosion still spreading. It is invading the active water system of the simulation bodies."

"Pilot status!?" Miasto asked.

"Still normal." Maya said.

"It's too dangerous, eject the plugs now!" Ritsuko ordered.

As the plugs shot out, Makoto announced the presence of an AT-Field.

"Analization pattern, blue. It's the Angel! Without question!" he said.

Fuyutsuki appeared on a com-moniter. "The Angel? Did you allow the Angel to come inside?"

" Sorry, sir." Ritsuko said.

"No excuses needed. Just hurry and close the Central Dogma. Separate it from Sigma Unit." he ordered and disappeared from the screen.

"Central Dogma, physically closed down. Separating it from Sigma Unit." someone said.

One of the test Eva's hand shot out and smashed into the window of the control room, the glass cracked.

"Abandon this lab! Evacuate!" Misato ordered and all of the personnel's ran out.

Ritsuko did not run but stared at the window, the cracks running across the surface.

"What are you doing? Hurry!" Misato yelled and grabbed her friend and hauled ass.

The doors locked behind them just as the window broke and the water inside the testing area flooded in.

"Separating Sigma Unit from B Floor. All partitions closing. Everyone on the area is to evacuate." the P.A. announced.

In Central Dogma, Gendo Ikari is on the phone. He ordered that a message be sent to the Japanese government and to the comities informing them that the invasion was an error and that everything was normal. He then orders that the Evas be shot out of the catapults to escape contamination by the Angel.

"How are we going to do this without the Evas?" Fuyuzuki asked.

After some analysis, Dr. Akagi hypothesized that the Angel's weakness was oxygen as it seemed to border on the heavy water, where more oxygen exists.

"So, does it mean its weakness is oxygen?" Misato asked.

"Its seems like so." Ritsuko answered, watching the monitors and checking her clipboard.

"Injecting ozone. Concentration increasing." Makoto said.

"It is working, all right." Aoba cheered.

"Can we make it?" Fuyuzuki asked.

"0A and 0B seems to recovering." Maya said.

"Around the pipe is back to the normal." Aoba added.

"The center parts are tough as expected." Makoto.

Fuyutsuki nodded. "OK, increase ozone."

Ritsuko watched as they did it, then she slammed her board on the console. "Something is wrong!"

"What? It is increasing." Aoba gasped.

"Something is wrong. Heat release is increasing." Makoto said.

"Contaminated area, increasing again" Aoba said.

"The effect of all the ozone is lost." Maya announced sadly.

"Now, it is intaking ozone." Makoto said worriedly.

"Stop the ozone." Ritsuko ordered. "Incredible, it's evolving."

" What's wrong?" Misato demanded.

"Sub-computer is being hacked. Hacker, unidentified." Aoba said, his hands dancing across the keyboard.

The bridge watched in horror as the Angel broke through all their defenses and started to openly attack the Magi. It entered the Pribnow Box and broke though the final password. Gendo ordered a shutdown, Aoba and Makototook out their keys, inserted them into the console, and turn them at the same time. It didn't work, the Angel hacked into Melchior, Melchior tried to self-destruct Nerv but Balthazar and Casper rejected it. It turned on Balthazar and soon took that.

"Damn! It's so fast!" Makoto cursed.

"What a calculation speed!" Aoba agreed.

Ritsuko did some quick thinking. "Change the login mode. Tune synchro-code to every fifteen minutes."

This bought them two hours of time. The bridge personnel gathered in a meeting room to confer on the situation.

"They are micro-machines, the Angels with the size of virus." Ritsuko explained. "The each of them gathers to form a colony, and in these short times, they have evolved exponentially enough to from a intelligence circuit."

"Evolution..." Fuyuzuki whispered.

"Yes, sir. They constantly evolve themselves and look for the best way to cope with the situations."

"It is the system of survival of the life forms itself." he said.

"The only effective way to fight with subject which constantly evolve and over come its weakness is take it with us." Misato said coldly. "Only way is to MAGI to commit suicide and take it with MAGI. I suggest physical elimination of MAGI."

"Impossible." Ritsuko retorted. "Aborting MAGI means aborting the Headquarters."

"Then I formally request it as the strategy section." Misato said.

"I reject. This is the matter of the engineering section" Ritsuko shot back.

The women argued for a while before Ritsuko said that as long as it kept evolving, they still had a chance. Gendo asked for an explanation.

"The end of the evolution is self-destruction. It is death itself." Ritsuko said.

"In that case, how do we go about it?" He asked.

Ritsuko turned to face him. "If the ANGELS consider effective means of the survival, they may choose the co-existence with MAGI."

Makoto sat up in his chair. "But how?"

Ritsuko took out her palm pilot. "If the target is the computer itself, we can reverse hack by directly connecting Casper and the ANGELS, and by doing so, self-destruct promotion code can be send in. However..."

"At the same time, we are opening up the barrier to the ANGELS." Maya filled in.

"Is Casper faster or the Angel faster?"

"Unknown." Ritsuko answered.

"You can make the program by the time, right? If Casper is taken over completely, that's it for us." Misato warned.

Ritsuko and Maya broke open the Magi's doors and crawled inside the supercomputer's cores. They found a ton of post-its on the machine's inside, left by Ritsuko's mother, the designer of the Magi. They contained the codes for every operation of the system, Ritsuko went past these and all the way to the back of the core, where she hooked up a laptop to the central processing unit of Casper, which looked like a human brain. She stared rewriting the program for Casper, with Misato watching her.

"Get me that wrench." Ritsuko said holding her hand out.

Misato hand said wrench to her friend. "Reminds me of when we were in college."

Ritsuko didn't hear her. "Board No.25..."

Misato noticed how absorbed she was. "Mmmmm will you tell me about MAGI? Just a little?"

"It's a long story. But not much fancy stuff as you would think... Do you know the personality transfer OS?" Ritsuko asked.

"Yep. It is the system to transfer a person's personality and make the 7th generation organic computer to think by itself. It is used to operate EVA, too." Misato answered.

"I heard MAGI is the first one to use it. My mother developed it." Ritsuko said.

"So your mother's personality was transferred to MAGI?" Misato asked.

"Yes." the doctor said. "In other word, these brains are my mother's."

"Is that why you wanted to protect Magi?" Misato asked, pulling her legs close to her chest.

"I do not think so." said in a business tone. "I did not like my mother much. It is a decision as a scientist."

Suddenly, Aoba announced that Balthasar was finally taken over.

"Self-destruction is now voted for by the AIs." the computer announced. "Self-destruction will be executed 02sec. after all three have agreed about it. The ranges of self-destruction are Geoids depth -280, -140, and 0 floor. Due to the activation of special rule 582, cancellation by the two of the AIs is impossible."

Misato looked at Ritsuko, she nodded and began to type even faster. The bridge waited as the countdown for the self-destruct went down.

"8 seconds." the computer said.

"Ritsuko!" Misato yelled.

"Almost..."

"5 seconds"

"4 seconds"

"3 seconds"

"2 seconds"

"NOW!" Ritsuko yelled, hitting the button.

"Self-destruction cancelled by AIs." the computer said to a relived room. "Now, special rule 582 is cleared. MAGI systems return to normal."

"You did it." Misato said as Ritsuko crawled out of the terminal.

"Yeah..."

Meanwhile, since being ejected, the three pilots had been sitting inside their plugs which floated on the surface of a lack near Nerv HQ.

"ARRRGGGGGG!!" Asuka yelled. "SOMEONE COME HELP US!!"

(A/N: For a picture of Asuka trapped in her plug go to- pic 15)

Shinji sat inside his plug, none of them could go out in their state. He waited, just like Rei and Asuka, for Nerv officers to come and rescue them.

"I knew this was a stupid idea!!" Asuka yelled.

Eventually, the pilots were found by Nerv searchers and escorted back to Nerv where they were checked for contamination and then released. Asuka had slapped the first rescuer to poke his head into her plug and cause some delays, but they were soon changed and in the car back to their apartment.

"So what happened while we were gone?" Shinji asked Misato.

"I don't even want to sort it out..." she said.

Like always, Misato just fell right on her bed upon getting home and fell asleep. Asuka wanted to spend another night with Shinji so he consented, and got into the futons in the living room with her.

"Today was one of the worse days of my life!" Asuka wined.

"At least no one was hurt." Shinji said.

"Humph." she said, still angry.

Shinji kissed her cheek and caused her to blush.

"Go to sleep now, we'll see if we can beg Misato for a little time out tomorrow and we'll go somewhere." Shinji said.

"Really!?" Asuka asked excited.

"Yeah, she should let us after today...we'll see."

"Ok, good night Shinji." Asuka said and snuggled up to him.

"Night Asuka." he said.

A/N: As always, authors love reviews. Later. -


	12. Shopping Fun

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Chapter 12 is here, knock yourself out. WAFF meter is very high, my apologies to all who don't like WAFF.   
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: Tell me this, if I owned Eva…do you really think I'd be writing fanfics?  
  
(I am very grateful to ST Pika for his help, so he will make a special cameo appearance in this chapter.)  
  
Asuka woke up the next morning, feeling rested and rather warm. She then realized that Shinji had his arms warped around her shoulders. She smiled and kissed him on the nose.   
  
"...Asuka...." Shinji whispered.  
  
'Is he dreaming about me?' Asuka thought. 'Wonder what it's about...better not be hentai.'  
  
She wiggled out from under him and stood up, putting the covers back on him she went to the bathroom to get ready for today. When she was done she came out of the bathroom and looked around to be sure no one was around, then she dashed to her room to change, that done she went back out to wake Shinji.   
  
"Wake up baka-kun." she nudged him with her toe.  
  
"..mmm..." he mumbled and turned over.  
  
Asuka sighed, she wondered....  
  
"Shinji," She whispered, "I'm showering in the bathroom and I want you to get me the shampoo."  
  
Shinji's eyes snapped open and he got up quickly.  
  
"What!? Where?" he said looking around, he was met with a punch to the gut, wasn't that hard, but it still hurts.  
  
"Baka hentai!" she yelled. "I knew that would wake you up!"  
  
She pulled him up by his right ear, with Shinji apologizing and screaming all the way.  
  
"Now go make me breakfast!" she ordered, he went.  
  
"Stupid perverted desires..." Shinji mumbled as he went to work. "I gotta cheer her up or she'll...." he gulped. As he opened the fridge an idea struck him.  
  
Asuka waited at the dinner table, hands and legs crossed, stomach growling and a scowl on her face. Shinji came out in fifteen minutes with a plate of German style cold cut meat and cheese, along with a glass of German Macchiato coffee, which was a tall glass of espresso floating between thick layers of hot milk and foam. Asuka's sour mood disappeared and she was delighted. Shinji set the food down and apologized again, she was only too glad to forgive him and began eating. Shinji heard noise coming from the bathroom and went back into the kitchen to make Misato's breakfast. Asuka was eating when a hand reached down and grabbed a piece of cheese.  
  
"Hey!" Asuka yelled.  
  
She looked up to see Misato chewing on the thinly sliced cheese and grinning.  
  
"What's wrong Asuka?" she asked. "Don't want to share?"  
  
"No! Shinji made this, get your own!" Asuka said.  
  
Misato laughed and saw Shinji come out with a plate of eggs and sausages. She put her hands on her hips.  
  
"No Frühstück for me?" she pouted.  
  
Shinji blushed, Asuka looked up at him and turned on Misato.  
  
"If I recall correctly," Asuka said. "When you lived in Germany you hated our foods and always complained that there were no ramen around."  
  
Misato stuck her tongue out apologetically, "This is fine Shinji-kun, I was only joking."  
  
Misato joined Asuka at the table and looked at Asuka's plate, "It's better if he makes it huh?"  
  
Asuka put her hands around her plate and scowled at Misato. "Yes so back off!"  
  
Misato laughed and dug in to her own breakfast, Shinji came out with a bowl of soba for himself and sat next to Asuka. As he ate a foot ran up his leg and he jerked, he looked at Misato and Asuka, both were grinning evilly and looking straight at him. His face reddened and he began to sweat.  
  
"Uh...." he said.  
  
"What's wrong Shinji?" the women asked sweetly.  
  
Pen-Pen took this time to walk out from under the table.  
  
"Wark!" he said.  
  
"Oops" Shinji said "Sorry Pen-Pen...."  
  
He got up quickly and went to get Pen-Pen his sardines. The penguin looked at the two women.  
  
"Wark?"   
  
"Don't ask." they said, then they high-fived each other.  
  
Pen-Pen looked at them then wadded to the kitchen.  
  
"Wark...." he said tugging Shinji's pants.  
  
"I don't know either pen-Pen." he said. "Maybe you'll find out when you meet a girl penguin."  
  
The penguin reflected on what he knew of females from his long time living with Misato and now Asuka.   
  
"WARK!" he screamed and ran all the way back to his fridge.  
  
Shinji looked at the retreating Penguin.  
  
"Did I say something wrong?"  
  
After breakfast, Shinji and Asuka asked Misato if they could talk.  
  
"Uh-oh...what's up?" Misato said.  
  
"Em...we were wondering if...." Shinji began.  
  
"If you can let us out just for today...so I could go somewhere with Shinji." Asuka said.  
  
"hmmmm..." Misato pondered this.  
  
"Please!" they added.  
  
"Well..." Misato said. "All right...but I will give you both a quiz tomorrow on your studies, so I hope you remember our deal."  
  
"OK, GREAT!" Asuka exclaimed.  
  
"Thanks Misato!!" Shinji added.  
  
"Yeah...have fun." Misato said.   
  
Shinji and Asuka went to change, Shinji cam out in a set of his school uniform and waited for Asuka. She came out in half an hour in her yellow sundress and fresh make up.  
  
"Geez....did you put a whole bottle on?" Misato said, smelling her perfume.  
  
Asuka glared at her and looked at Shinji.  
  
"First thing we are going to do is get you something else to wear!" Asuka screamed at the sight.  
  
Shinji looked down and saw nothing wrong, Asuka sighed and stared dragging him to the door.  
  
"Bye Misato-san!" Shinji yelled.  
  
"Bye kids!" she waved. "Don't do anything I would do! OR IF YOU DO! GET SOME PICTURES OF IT FOR ME!!"  
  
"MISATO!!" they yelled. "YOU ARE HORRIBLE!!"  
  
Soon after the children left, Misato got a can off beer and sat on the couch and turned on the TV. Before long the doorbell rang.  
  
"Did they forget something?" Misato wondered and opened the door.  
  
A man wearing a blue shirt with a loose red tie, black pants, hair tied in a ponytail, and unshaved chin stood in the doorway, holding a boutique of flowers.  
  
"Care to join me for lunch Katsurigi-san?" he asked.  
  
Misato took one look at him and poured the can of beer on him then closed the door. Kaji stood outside, soaked in beer and smiled.  
  
"Misato... you haven't changed a bit..."  
  
Asuka dragged Shinji to Tokyo-Three mall and led him to a clothing store. She pulled him around for an hour and finally decided on a nice blue t-shirt, a orange t-shirt, and a black t-shirt with a picture of Eva-01 and Eva-02 doing a synchronized kick during the seventh Angel attack. (A/N: For a picture of this shirt go to- pic 16) Also she got him two pairs of shorts.  
  
"There!" Asuka said happily handing him the bag. "Now stop wearing those boring old uniforms!"  
  
"Wow...thanks Asuka..." Shinji said.  
  
Asuka smiled.  
  
As they went inside a store where Asuka looked at some rather mature dresses, Shinji spotted a store opposite the one they were in that looked interesting. Shinji smiled and told Asuka that he was going to check something out, she told him to hurry and come back. Shinji went over to the other store. He came out in half an hour, a small square bulge in his right pocket and a smile on his face. He found Asuka and they left the store, Asuka hadn't found anything she wanted. Asuka suggested that they go to lunch but she wanted to visit the restroom first. Shinji waited in the little hallway out side the bathrooms for Asuka when she came out he pulled her aside.  
  
"I got this while you were busy..." he said and pulled out a small velvet case.  
  
Asuka took the case and opened it and gasped. Inside was a silver bracelet with "Shinji Luvs Asuka" engraved on it. Asuka looked at it speechlessly for a moment.  
  
"Do you like it?" Shinji asked.  
  
Asuka looked at him for a second, and then grabbed him and kissed him on the lips, causing him to drop the bags he was holding. They stayed like that for half a minute then Shinji released her.  
  
"I take it you like it?" he asked.  
  
Asuka nodded.  
  
"Let's go to lun-" he began but Asuka pulled him close again.  
  
"Lunch can wait." she said and kissed him again.  
  
Finally they got to the food court and sat down at a table, as Shinji went to stand in line for McDonalds, Asuka admired her new bracelet. She had never gotten anything from someone that expressed their love, oh sure she has gotten jewelry and lots of stuff from boys in collage but they were just...things...and the person who gave them to her had not love but sex on their minds, she had thrown all those things away. In her opinion, they weren't even worth the space they took up. She glanced up at her new boyfriend standing in line and can't help but smile.  
  
Shinji stood in line and waited patiently for his turn, as he came up to the counter the manager welcomed him.   
  
"What can I get you?" he asked, his Japanese was a little shaky, and he was Caucasian.  
  
Shinji looked at his badge. 'Jason R. Emery'   
  
"Hi...you're not from around here are you?" Shinji asked.  
  
Jason smiled. "Nah, I'm from the U.S., got transferred. I always loved traveling so I took the offer. Had to put my Geography studies and my writing (to a lot of people's disappointment) on hold but it's worth it to see Japan."  
  
"Oh, welcome to Japan." Shinji said.  
  
"Thanks!" Jason said, he looked over at a table near the McDonalds, a red-haired girl was watching them. "Is that your girlfriend?"  
  
Shinji looked, "Yeah..." he answered shyly.  
  
"Wow, you have a great looking girlfriend." Jason said. "Though I personally like brunettes."  
  
"Thanks..." Shinji said.  
  
"HEY! HURRY UP!" a man yelled.  
  
"I am the manager and I say stop yelling!" Jason yelled even louder.  
  
He turned back to Shinji. "Now what can I get for you?"  
  
"Two Cheeseburgers, two ex-large fries, and two orange sodas." Shinji said.  
  
"8500yen please."   
  
Shinji handed him the money and Jason disappeared to the kitchen and came out with a tray loaded with their food, and a large sundae with strawberry toppings.  
  
"I didn't-" Shinji began.  
  
"A gift." Jason said and put two spoons on the tray. "Good luck."  
  
"Wow, thanks!" Shinji said and took his order and left.  
  
Jason looked after him and chuckled. "Next!"   
  
A boy with dark hair and wearing a coat came up.   
  
"There he is!" he yelled and a bunched of other people dressed in the same thing ran up.  
  
"Damn!" Jason said and vaulted over the counter and sped down the mall.  
  
"Catch him!" the boy said. "We must not let FanFicGod escape! He still hasn't finished his story!!"  
  
Shinji came back with the food and took his seat, Asuka smiled at him.  
  
"Who was that man?" Asuka asked.  
  
"Oh, an American." Shinji said handing Asuka her food. "Transferred here."  
  
"Oh." Asuka noticed the sundae. "What's that?"  
  
"Desert." Shinji said. "Gift from the manager."  
  
"I see." Asuka bit into her burger. "Mein Gott! I haven't had a burger like this since America!"  
  
(A/N: To see Asuka right now, go to- pic 17)  
  
"What was America like?" Shinji asked, munching on fries.  
  
"Didn't get to see much of it..." Asuka said. "Was at the Nevada Nerv Branch most of the time."  
  
"Oh..." Shinji returned to his food.  
  
They finished their lunch with small talk and then ate their sundae together. As they finished Hikari and Toji came up to them.  
  
"Oh my god Shinji!" Toji yelled.  
  
Shinji jerked in his seat and Hikari elbowed Toji in the side.   
  
"Hello Asuka, hello Shinji." she said brightly.  
  
"Hey Hikari...." the two said.  
  
Hikari smiled and leaned towards Asuka, "So you finally told him?"  
  
Asuka looked at her friend in annoyance. 'Do you mind?"  
  
Hikari giggled, "I know you want time with Shinji, later!"  
  
She dragged Toji away, still gasping from the pain.  
  
"What were they doing together?" Asuka asked turning to watch them go.  
  
"Maybe what we're doing?" Shinji suggested.  
  
"Maybe." Asuka said.  
  
"You want to head back?" Shinji asked.  
  
Asuka checked her watch, 4:29p.m.  
  
"All right, let's go."  
  
They walked home together and pasted streets after streets of people out for some weekend shopping. Asuka suddenly took Shinji's hand and pulled him down another street and into a park, they sat down on a bench and Shinji looked at Asuka.  
  
"What is it?" he asked.  
  
She looked at the other people playing around the park and then focused on a couple kissing on another bench. She turned back to Shinji.  
  
"Shinji..." she said, he looked in her eyes. "I want to thank you for a wonderful date, a wonderful first date."  
  
Shinji looked a little surprised. "You haven't been on one before?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, but they were all with rich jerks that only wanted action." Asuka said.  
  
"What I want to know is-" she began.  
  
"I'm not like those guys!" Shinji said and pulled her closer. "I only want to be with you Asuka, you the best person I know and you bring out the best in me."  
  
Asuka scanned his eyes and found nothing that suggested falsehood in what he said.  
  
"Really?" she asked once more.  
  
"Yes." Shinji replied.  
  
Asuka smiled. "You have become a bit "  
  
"See?" Shinji said. "You do bring out the best in me."  
  
Shinji gathered Asuka in a hug and watched the park scenery for a while. When Shinji's watch beeped, announcing that it was 5:30, he helped her up and they continued back to their apartment.   
  
They entered to find Misato gone and a note saying that she had gone out with Ritsuko. Asuka went to change and Shinji went to his room to unpack his new clothes. He smiled when he brought out the Eva t-shirt and put it on. He came back out to the living room and looked at the DVDs they had. Asuka came out in her yellow t-shirt and short jeans and joined him.  
  
"Looks great on you." she said.  
  
"That's because you chose it." Shinji said.  
  
She pecked him on the cheek, then they went though the DVDs and decided on "The Last Samurai". Shinji sat on the couch, with Asuka laying down with her head resting on his lap as they began the movie.  
  
Elsewhere, Misato sat in a bar, waiting for Ritsuko. After an hour she was going to leave when Kaji sat down next to her, a new boutique of flowers in his hand and in a new suit.  
  
Misato stared at him, "You just don't get it do you?"  
  
Kaji flashed his grin "Now Misato, it's been years, we've all grown up. Tell me truthfully that you don't have any feelings for me left and I'll leave."  
  
Misato opened her mouth but she really couldn't truthfully say that.  
  
Kaji smiled and laid the flowers down, he turned to the bartender.  
  
"Two orders of jizake please." he said.  
  
A/N: As always, authors love reviews. Later. - 


	13. The Unshaven Man and School

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Chapter 13 is here, knock yourself out. WAFF meter is dangerously high, my apologies to all who don't like WAFF.   
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: Tell me this, if I owned Eva…do you really think I'd be writing fanfics?  
  
Kaji approached the door to the Katsurigi/Langley/Ikari residence, Misato on his back still out cold from their drinking session. He used his elbow and prodded the call button. He waited and got no answer, he tried again, thistime Shinji answered the door, rubbing his eyes.  
  
"Huh...?" he blinked to clear his eyes. 'Kaji? What are you doing here?"  
  
"Delivery, Shinji." the man said. "Just dropping Misato-chan off."  
  
Kaji stepped into the apartment, all the lights were off, the only light came from the glow of the TV, where Tom Cruse was busy hacking some people down with a Japanese sword. Asuka was lying on the couch fast asleep. Kaji surmised that they must have fallen asleep in the middle of the movie until he woke Shinji. Kaji asked Shinji where Misato's room was and Shinji led him there, Kaji eased Misato off his back and onto her bed, he put her purse and jacket besides the bed and left the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Sorry for disturbing you guys." Kaji said.  
  
"It's alright," Shinji said and yawned "What time is it?"  
  
Kaji checked his watch, "Almost nine."  
  
"Well, I don't think Asuka-chan is going to want to wake up for dinner..." he said. "Are you hungry Kaji?"  
  
Kaji thought about it, "Sure, I'll have something."  
  
Shinji went to the kitchen and soon whipped up two bowls of instant ramen. Shinji and Kaji sat at the dinning room table to eat and chat quietly.  
  
"So what did you guys do?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Just went out for a drink." Kaji said slurping up some noodles. "You're watching a movie with Asuka?"  
  
"Yeah..."   
  
Kaji looked back at the couch. "Hmmm, not like Asuka to fall asleep in the middle of a movie." he noticed a red mark on Shinji's leg, just showing under his shorts. "Unless she was really comfortable..."  
  
(A/N: To see Kaji at this point, go to- pic 18)  
  
"She probably was..." Shinji mumbled.  
  
Kaji studied the young man for a minute and Shinji pretended not to notice. Just when Shinji was about to ask what he was looking at, a hand wrapped around the unshaven man's shoulder.  
  
"Kaji!" Asuka yelled. "Long time no see! How are you!?"  
  
"Shhh." Kaji said. "You'll wake up Misato, and I've been fine."  
  
Shinji watched Asuka holding onto Kaji with some annoyance and jealousy, he coughed and held out his arms. Asuka let go of Kaji and flew into Shinji's arms and rested on his lap. This left Kaji surprised for a second but hequickly recovered thanks to his training from his work.  
  
"I should have guessed." he said and smiled. A smile different from his usual cocky grin, it was a smile of happiness, for a person he considered his little sister.  
  
"Congratulations you two." Kaji said. "I take it this means Asuka won't ransack my offices looking for me anymore?"  
  
"Kaji!" Asuka pouted.  
  
The men laughed and Asuka kicked Shinji with her heel, which shut him up.  
  
"Watch out Shinji," Kaji said. "She's a tough cookie."  
  
"Shinji likes me the way I am, don't you Shinji?" Asuka asked sweetly.  
  
"Uh...of course I do Asuka-chan." he replied.  
  
Asuka pecked him on the cheek. "See?" she said to Kaji.  
  
The man laughed again.   
  
"Well, I must be going." he said afterwards and stood up. "Thanks for the noodles Shinji."  
  
"Hey!" Asuka said hitting Shinji lightly on the chest. "Where's my dinner!?"  
  
"I didn't want to wake you up!" Shinji explained. "You looked so content sleeping on the couch."  
  
"Awww." Asuka said. "That was sweet of you, but I want my dinner."  
  
"Ok ok," Shinji said. "Stay inside and wait for me, I'll just escort Kaji-san out."  
  
"OK." Asuka said. "Bye Kaji!"   
  
"Bye Asuka." Kaji said and followed Shinji out the front door. He turned to the young pilot.  
  
"Take care of her Shinji," Kaji said seriously. "She's had a rough childhood...and there's more to come for both of you."  
  
"I will Kaji-san." Shinji said. "But what do you mean "there's more to come for both of us"?"  
  
"Eva." Kaji said, it wasn't the whole truth but it wasn't a lie either. "That's all."  
  
"Oh, don't worry Kaji-san, Asuka will be fine with me." Shinji said.  
  
"You're a good kid Shinji." Kaji said and waved goodbye, Shinji went back inside and the door closed. "And neither of you deserve to be used like this..."  
  
The man turned and walked down the hall, "Damn you SEELE...."  
  
The next morning Shinji woke Asuka up early so they could get ready for school. It was Monday, Shinji woke Asuka up, made lunches, got dressed, and ran out the door with Asuka, both munching on Pop Tarts for breakfast. The two arrived at school early and met their friends in the classroom. Shinji sat down in front of Toji and Kensuke while Hikari dragged Asuka off, to ask about yesterday no doubt. Toji did not bring the subject up and was instead talking to Kensuke about some new video game. Shinji sat listening when Rei came over.   
  
"Can I help you Ayanami?" Shinji asked.  
  
"I..." Rei looked like nervous. "I would like to thank you for your help on that project last week."  
  
"Oh sure Ayanami, it was no problem." Shinji said.  
  
Rei hesitated, then she reached into her bag and produced a small box of chocolates.  
  
"For you...." she said. 'Thank you...Ikari-kun..."  
  
"Er..." Shinji said. "You're welcome, it was nothing really..."  
  
Suddenly Rei was pushed aside and slammed into a nearby desk.  
  
"Hands off Wondergirl!" Asuka yelled. "He's mine!"  
  
Rei picked herself up and brushed herself off.   
  
"What are you saying Pilot Sohryu?" she asked calmly.  
  
"I said," Asuka snarled, and Shinji took a second to be amazed at how much Asuka resembled a lion defending its kill. "Shinji is mine so go hit on someone else Wonderslut!"  
  
The whole class was stunned in silence, Shinji felt the stare of the whole class on him and wished that an Angel would attack, or something to distract them. Rei considered Asuka.  
  
"I see," she said finally. "But you should know that I was merely thanking Ikari-kun for his assistance in my make-up project last week. You need not worry about me stealing him, thought I fail to see how he belongs to you."  
  
This said Rei turned and went to her desk, Asuka calmed downed enough to see the class staring at her and Shinji.  
  
"What!?" she snapped.  
  
The male half of the class erupted with cries and curses at the most beautiful girl in school being taken, the female half wailed at how they lost Shinji to that stuck up bitch. Asuka heard and was already marching towards the girls who said it when Shinji held her back.  
  
"Forget it." he said. "It will just makes things worse."  
  
Asuka glared at the girls, who glared back at her. She turned her head and marched back to her seat. Shinji sat down and was quickly harassed by emails and messages. He looked at Asuka and she gave him a tired look and nodded. They couldn't keep up with the threats and resigned to turning off their computers, but that didn't stop the stares and whispering around them through out class. At lunch Toji and Hikari sat with Shinji and Asuka, Hikari'spresence deterred some of the others from staring something, as did Toji's. Kensuke was no help, he was as annoying as any of his other classmates and on top of that he kept poking his camera everywhere. After school Asuka and Shinji rushed out the door, having to push through a mob to get out.  
  
"Verfluchte Idioten!" Asuka yelled. "That was insane!"  
  
"Yeah," Shinji agreed. "I didn't think the reaction would be that bad."  
  
They walked home, exhausted and shaken. Then Shinji remembered something.  
  
"Hey! Didn't you have detention?" he asked.  
  
Asuka grinned. "That was the only good thing about today, Toji and I managed to clear things up with the Principle and the sentence was suspended."  
  
"Oh, that's great." Shinji said.  
  
Shinji noticed some students walking in from another direction and pulled Asuka forward, they ran past the corner just as the students came onto the path. Together Asuka and Shinji ran back to their home and entered that bit of sanctuary. Asuka kicked off her shoes and sat down in a dinning table chair.  
  
"Ugh..." she said. "Damn my feet hurt, those bastards..."  
  
Shinji came in and sat down in front of her,.  
  
"It's ok Asuka," he said. "Here, is this better?"   
  
He lifted up her feet and placed them on a chair between them and gave her a massage.  
  
"Oh...Shinji" Asuka moaned, leaning her head back across the backrest. "Verdammen Sie, das gut fühlt!"  
  
(A/N: I know what that sounds like but get your minds out of the gutter people! He's just giving the poor girl a foot massage!)  
  
"Huh?" Shinji asked.  
  
"I said that felt good." Asuka answered.  
  
"Oh." Shinji finished up the massage and put Asuka's feet back down.  
  
"Oh...." Asuka was still in 'relax' mode. "That was...where did you learn to do that?"  
  
"Er... I didn't," Shinji said. "First time."  
  
Asuka lifted her head back up and grinned. "Well, since you're so good we'll just have to have you do that kind of stuff more often don't we?"  
  
Shinji blushed, Asuka got up and stretched, then she bends down and him a quick kiss on the lips.   
  
"Thank you very much Mein Liebling." Asuka said and headed to the showers.  
  
Shinji went over to the couch and crashed down. Pen-Pen came out of his fridge, grasping a can of beer. He waddled up next to the couch and sat down on the floor.  
  
"Wark."   
  
"School is really gonna be fun now...." he groaned.  
  
"Wark." Pen-Pen said sympathetically and opened his beer, then taking a long drink.  
  
When Misato got back from Nerv she kept her promise and gave Shinji and Asuka a small quiz on their subjects. Shinji's studies seemed to be helping but Asuka's Kanji was as bad as ever. Misato was a little angry and told Asuka that she had to work extra hard. So it was because of that Asuka and Shinji now sat on Asuka's bed in her room, Shinji showing her how to read the basic alphabet of the Japanese kanji system.  
  
"Argh!" Asuka yelled in frustration and threw her pen down. "This is stupid, how can anyone read these swiggly lines!?"  
  
"It's ok Asuka," Shinji said putting a hand on hers. "It'll be easy once you get your hands on it, I'll help you."  
  
Asuka growled and resigned herself to continuing, Shinji was patient, and walked Asuka through it again. They studied for a few long hours until Misato called them to dinner, Asuka happily tossed the books and other items back into her school bag and went out with Shinji. They seated themselves around the table and then helped themselves to the boxes of Tacos Misato had bought. As they ate the phone rang, Shinji went to answer it.  
  
"Misato!" he called. "It's Kaji!"  
  
Shinji handed the phone to her and returned to the table, Misato took the phone and spoke.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked.  
  
[Nothing Misato, just checking up on you.] the man replied from the other end.  
  
"I'm fine, and thank you for carrying me home last night."  
  
[Sure Misato, no problem.]   
  
"Anything else?"  
  
[Well, are you interested in having dinner with me tomorrow?]  
  
"I think about it...."  
  
[Ok, I'll be waiting at the 'Tokyo-Three Sky Dinner' at 7pm, see you there.]  
  
Kaji hung up, Misato stared at the receiver.  
  
"I said, 'I'll think about it.' I didn't say I'd go for sure." she sighed and replace the phone. "He's so arrogant, just like my father...who thought he could harness God himself..."  
  
A/N: Ok, I know all this WAFF has been torture but hey, it's a romance fic ok? Anyway, I promise an Angel attack next chapter, how's that? As always, authors love reviews.   
  
Later. - 


	14. Leliel's Strike

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Ok! Chapter 14, first off, I would like to thank you for putting up with my WAFF crap but hopefully you won't see that much of it anymore because, from here, it's all going to hell and back. So now, I proudly present to you, Chapter 14 of Meant for one Another: Leliel's Strike.   
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: If you think I own Eva...you are obviously high on something.  
  
(Thanks again to ST Pika for once again prereading, you do me any more favors and I'll have to call you St. Pika!)  
  
The next day, Asuka and Shinji woke up to find a surprise in store for them. The minute they were up Misato told them that they wouldn't be going to school today, they were going to NERV for a few hours of Synch testing. The children goraned and went o get dressed. After a hasty breakfast of Cup-O-Noodles, the three got into Misato's car and sped off to NERV headquarters. As they arrived a truck bearing parts for a EMAWP unit came in the other direction, Shinji watched it out of his window.  
  
"Are the EMAWPs getting refitted?" he asked Misato.  
  
"Nah," Misato said giving the transmission stick a jerk. "Reloading the ammo and weapon bays."  
  
Shinji nodded and looked at his partner next to him in the back seat, Asuka sat with her head against the window, asleep again. Shinji put his hand on her lap and she jerked awake.  
  
"Sorry Asuka-chan," he said "But we're there."  
  
Asuka nodded and closed her eyes again. When Misato pulled the car to a stop, Shinji woke Asuka up again and helped her out of the car.  
  
"Is something wrong Asuka?" he asked as they walked. "Did you get enough sleep?"  
  
"No, but it's not that." she answered. "I have a bad feeling, something... feels... it's like... as if, the air is getting thick, like something is hanging over me."  
  
"Don't worry Asuka, it's nothing I'm sure." Shinji said and pulled the girl closer to him.  
  
Asuka wrapped her arms around his neck and they kept walking after Misato. At the command bridge, Ritsuko Akagi greeted them with an order to suit up and get in the Evas. Shinji and Asuka head to the locker rooms, sharing a quick kiss before going inside their seperate locker rooms. When Asuka entered she spotted Rei depressurizing her plug suit. Asuka scowled and brushed past the girl, still mindfull of her move on her Shinji the other day. Rei did not even gave any signs she noticed Asuka. As Asuka changed into her suit, Rei left the room without a word, Asuka did not mind at all.   
  
Shinji, on the other side of the wall in the boy's locker, got into his plug suit, and neatly folded his clothes and put them in his locker. He exited the locker room and bumped into Rei Ayanami.  
  
"Oh... gomen..." Shinji said.  
  
"It is alright Ikari-kun." the azure haired girl replied. "I must go now..."  
  
As she left, Shinji grabbed her shoulder and stopped her. The startled Rei turned, Shinji looked nervous.  
  
"Ayanami... I wanted... to apologize, for Asuka." he said.  
  
Rei cocked her head. "It was not your fault."  
  
"But... she did push you because of me...' Shinji said. "And she didn't mean it Ayanami, she's just...protective..."  
  
Rei stared into Shinji's blue eyes. "I understand..." she said and left.  
  
Shinji stood at the ertrance of the lockers, staring after Rei. Then a kick from behind sent the boy crashing on his face.  
  
"Bastard!" the redhead responsible yelled. "How could you!!?"  
  
Holding back the tears she vowed never to shed again, Asuka ran down the hall to the command center. Shinji got up and ran after her, trying to explain.  
  
"Ok Rei," Akagi said through the com. "Harmonics are stable, synch rate holding at 78.9%"  
  
Rei nodded. The pilots were in their simulation plugs, drowned in LCL, they had com-links patched up from plug to plug and also to the control room.  
  
"Asuka, also stable," she moved on. "But your synch rate is dropping, whatever is bothering you, get over it! It's at 64.7%!"  
  
Asuka shot a glare at Shinji through the view only com link. He sighed and hoped he could clear things up when he got out.  
  
"Shinji, great job!" the scientist said. "Synch ratio at an all time record of 97.3%!!"  
  
"Really!?" the pilots, and Misato, and bridge bunnies asked.  
  
"Yes..." Akagi said. "Wow... good job Shinji."  
  
Asuka stared at Shinji, with anger and awe, and sense of being outdone by both her fellow pilots. Asuka's mood drops, as well as her synch.  
  
Dr. Akag was alarmed by the sudden drop and yells, "What the hell... Asuka! What are you thinking about!?"  
  
As Shinji looked over to watch her, Aoba sounded the Angel alarm.  
  
"Damn it, always interupted!" Akagi swore and rushed to get the pilots into the real Evangelion units.  
  
Misato supervised the preping of the EMAWP units.  
  
"Evangelions, hasshin!"  
  
The Evas, armed and mounted, shot out of a new catpult that allowed room for both units.  
  
Asuka landed first and pulled Lodernd behind a building, the others joined her shortly and they observed the floating Angel as it moved through Tokyo-Three. Asuka, filled with raw rage, charged out, rocket launcher at the ready. She slapped her steed and it jumped on a building, Asuka fired from that position but the ball form of the Angel disappeared on impact.  
  
"Huh?" Asuka said looking around.  
  
"Asuka! LOOK OUT!!" Misato yelled through the com.  
  
"What? OH CRAP!!" Asuka yelled as the shadow of the Angel appeared under her building and it sank. The shaking was so much that Asuka couldn't get balanced enough to get her hands on Lodernd's reins.  
  
"Asuka!"   
  
Suddenly Eva-02 and it's EMAWP was knocked from the building to a safe distance away into another street. Unit-01 and Pegasus was now hovering above the Angel. Shinji watched as the Angel sucked up the building that a while ago, had Eva-02 on it. Shinji pulled out a spear from a compartment on Pegasus and flung the spear stright down, it extended in mid air and shot into the Shadow. A roar was heard and the shadow increased it's suction, now Eva-01 and Pegasus was being pulled in. Shinji pulled on the reins and Pegasus fired the thrusters, they started inching away from the vortex of air but the Angel again increased it's intake level. The small cable that the EMAWP provided for the Eva's power snapped and Eva-01 fell off of Pegasus, the EMAWP shot off out of the vacuum but Eva-01 fell striaght down into the hole.  
  
"ASSUUKKKAAA!!!" Shinji screamed as Eva-01 dissapered into the shadow and off of the map at Central Dogma.  
  
"No! SHINJI!!" Asuka yelled, having witness the scene from the street Shinji had knocked her into. She took an Ax out and rode Lodernd pass the Angel's ball shape, slicing it as she passed, it did nothing. Asuka was about to circle around for another attack when Misato's voice ordered a full retreat.  
  
"WE ARE NOT LEAVING HIM!!" Asuka yelled.  
  
"We have to, for now..." Misato said. "Don't worry Asuka, we'll come up with a plan to save him."  
  
"No! Shinji!" Asuka turned but Rei came up in Unit-00 and on Shadow. She reached across and pulled the reins on Lodernd and it turned tail and galloped towards Nerv.  
  
"Ahh! NO! DAMN YOU AYANAMI" Asuka yelled as her horse kept heading back to HQ.  
  
"I am sorry, Sohryu." Rei said to no one and guided her horse right behind Asuka's.  
  
SLAP!! Rei snapped back and cluched her left cheek, where Asuka had slapped her the minute she fould the pilot of Unit-00 after exiting her Eva.  
  
"Why the hell did you force me back!?" she yelled into the other girl's face. "I could've saved him!"  
  
"We had our orders." Rei said softly.  
  
"Who said you could decide what I should do? Who decided you could touch Lodernd? Who decided you could steal my Shinji!?"  
  
Asuka slapped her again but Rei caught her arm, but Asuka's other one shot out and got Rei on the right cheek. Rei backed away a step but said nothing, Asuka's blood boiled and she lunged at Rei, but a hand pulled her back by her suit's neck. She turned and saw Gendo Ikari's special guards sourounding her.  
  
"That is enough Second Child." A cold voice said.  
  
(A/N: To see a pic of the bastard king here, go to- pic 19)  
  
The owner of the voice appeared out of a door soon enough, it was Gendo Ikari himself. Asuka stopped her struggle and glared at the First Child, the guard released Asuka. Shooting a disgusted look at Rei, she stormed out of the launch area. Gendo went over to Rei.  
  
"Did she harm you?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, not seriously, it will be healed in a matter of minutes." Rei replied.  
  
"I see..." Gendo said and went down the hall where Asuka went. "Hurry Rei." he said. "Conference."  
  
"Hai!"  
  
"You mean, that shadow portion is the Angel's body ?" Misato asked.  
  
"Yes, about 680 meters in diameter, about 3 nanometers in thickness. It sustains that super-thin space with the inverted A.T.Field, and the interior of the Field is the imaginary space called "Dirac's Sea." It may connect to another space." Ritsuko answered, most of the bridge was gathered at the top of a building in Tokyo-Three so they could easier understand Ritsuko's explaintion. Some of the officers watched the shadow in the middle of the city that held their prized Unit-01 and its pilot, Shinji Ikari.  
  
"What's that sphere?" Misato asked.  
  
Ritsuko turned and looked at the Sphere in the sky. "It vanishes when the imaginary circuit of the body closes. The object in the sky is nothing but a shadow."  
  
"It means the black shadow that introjected Unit One is the target?" Misato demanded.  
  
"Then we have to go there and get SHinji out!" Asuka yelled.  
  
Ritsuko and Misato glanced at Asuka, then they got up and walked over to a corner of the roof, then they started another duscussion.  
  
"Force salvaging Eva ?" Misato gasped.  
  
"It's the only way that might be possible." Ritsuko said nodding. "Dropping all 992 existing N2 depth charges to the central portion, in timing with, interfering with the imaginary circtuit of the Angel in 1 millisecond with two existing Eva's AT-Fields. In that moment, we will be concentrating the explosive energy; it should be enough to break the Angel apart from the Dirac's Sea that forms its body."  
  
"But, how do you know... how Eva's body will be after this?!" Then it dawned on her "Heck, It's not a rescue operation..."  
  
Ritsuko nodded. "In this operation, salvage of the body of Unit One is the number one priority over everything. We don't care if the body is damaged, or the pilot's condition."  
  
Misato was mad now. "Hey, wait a moment!"  
  
Ritsuko took off her glasses and said coldly. "In this case, we don't care about the pilot's life."  
  
Misto slaps Ritsuko hard, just like Asuka did to Rei.  
  
Ritsuko stepped back and held her face. "Aw! Oh, it's your fault if you lose Shinji-kun. Huh, remember that!"  
  
Misato got into her friend's face. "What's the reason why you and Commander Ikari are so stuck on Unit One? Huh, what is Eva!?"  
  
Ritsuko turned away. "The materials I gave you tell you all about what Eva is."  
  
Misato flung her off. "You're a liar."  
  
Ritsuko ajusted her coat. "Trust me, Misto. I'm in command of this operation. We'll forward flights to the Kankuu airport; contact the air control and the air transport division of the JSSDF."  
  
"WHAT!!?" Asuka screamed as the plan was explained to her. "We're blowing him up!?"  
  
"It's our best chance," Misato said sadly. "I don't like it anymore than you do but this is our only option."  
  
"No, Shinji..." Asuka whispered and sank on the floor against the wall. "Why him?"  
  
It was a stab to Misato's heart to see her two kids like this, she glanced back at where Gendo, Ritsuko, and Rei were talking.  
  
'Bastards!' she thought.  
  
Asuka got up, "I'll go, maybe I can do something for him out there!"  
  
With that she ran to the Evas that were docked next to the building. Rei saw her and said goodbye to Gendo and went after her. Dr. Akagi went to the side of the building.  
  
"Start the operation!" she yelled.  
  
The two Evas lit up and made their ways toward the Angel without their EMAWPs, Asuka and Rei fanned out, ready to use their AT-Fields.  
  
"Shinji, I'll do what I can..." Asuka said as she moved her Eva into place.  
  
Inside the Angel, Shinji looked at the counter on the side pannel, 0:07:46.   
  
'My life ends in seven minutes...' Shinji thought. 'Just when me and Asuka were... it's... not... fair...'  
  
He began to dose off into unconsciousness, memories of his life, especially of times this past few weeks with Asuka filled his vision.  
  
"Asuka..." he said, then he heard a woman's voice. "Asuka... no... no...this scent, it's................. mother!?"  
  
Shinji's eyes snapped open, he could have sworn he heard his mom's voice. He looked at the controls around him, "Eva, what are you?"  
  
Then the power meter went crazy....  
  
Asuka watched in horror as the gash spread across the Angel's ball form, a trail of blood gushed out from the wound, she gasped as another hole apeared on the side of the Angel, it screamed. People back at the rooftop were cowering, Asuka and Rei stood, transfixed, as they witnessed Eva-01 pulled the sides of the Angel apart and stuck it's upper body out. Its eyes turned orange and it roared.  
  
"Beserker!" Akagi cried out as the carnage continued.  
  
Unit-01 tried to get out but the hole wasn't big enough, it pulled it's right arm out, in its hand was the spear Shinji had thrown eariler. Unit-01 used this and slashed a bloody way out of the Angel. It lunged with a wet and sick 'splat' as the blood hit the streets. It reared up and roared again, spinning its spear. Around the Angel lay shreds of the Angel's body...   
  
"Shinji!"  
  
Shinji Ikari's eyes stared to move at this sound... someone calling him. "Shinji!"  
  
He opened them a little, when he saw what had made the noise he opened them fully. Asuka was in his entry plug, the hatch was open, she was on top of him and crying uncontrolablely.  
  
"Baka Shinji!!" she screamed "What the hell were you thinking!!?'  
  
Shinji moved his right hand and rested it on her back, "I'm sorry Asuka."  
  
She continued to cry.  
  
Then he remembered. "Asuka, me and Rei..."  
  
She looked up at him, her crying suspended for the moment.  
  
"There's been a misunderstanding, I was just apologizing to her eariler..." Shinji said.  
  
Asuka smiled and buried her head against his chest, "It's ok, I should have had more faith in you."  
  
"Asuka..." Shinji said stroking her hair.  
  
"Don't." She said. "It's full of that LCL crap."  
  
"Then let's hit the showers and go home huh?" he suggested.  
  
"Then what are you waiting for!?" Asuka grinned.  
  
A/N: Ok, An Angel fight, as promised, hope you're happy now...now I gotta find a way to get my head out of my ass and write ch 15, which is...the begining of the 13th Angel yes. See you soon. As always, authors love reviews.   
  
Later. - 


	15. Fourth Child Part 1

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Ok! Chapter 15, first off, I would like to say sorry, for I have...evil...in stored for Toji and Asuka, (hey, this is NGE, people suffering is common) now don't go and stab me in the back you hear? I think you'll like the end of the story, which is getting close...we are on what? The 13th? yeah, ok, enough of my babbling, on with the fic!.   
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: YES YES!! I OWN EVA!! LOOK AT ME!! I'M AN INSAINE MAN WITH DEEP SOCIAL PROBLEMS.......Err, ignore that....  
  
"Katsuragi, what's wrong?" the man asked.  
  
"Nothing...it's just..Shinji..." Misato replied.  
  
It was late at night, after Shinji had been checked over by medical, Misato had taken him and Asuka back home before coming to Kaji's. The two adults had missed dinner but were making up for it with a romantic night in bed.  
  
"The attack today?" Kaji asked. "I heard he was absorbed."  
  
"Yeah," Misato said, the memory still haunting her. "We-no, he, managed to get himself out in the end...But I think, what if he didn't? Ritsuko and the commander was going to drop all the N2s we have on the thing just to salvage the stupid Eva! I'd like to know what is so godamn important about that purple hunk of junk!"  
  
Kaji listened to Msato's ranting with what seemed like disinterest, but when she finished he placed a small disk in her palm.  
  
"What's this?" she asked.  
  
"Answers, you will need them." he said. "The password is the date of our first meeting."  
  
Misato rolled off of his chest. "Kaji...you know what you do is..."  
  
"I know, Ikari's on to me, that's true." he said putting an arm over her. "But I have no other choice...."  
  
"You always have a choice." Misato answered and looked up into his eyes, which were focused on the ceiling. "It's just your obsession with finding the truth isn't it?"  
  
"...." Kaji. "Maybe."  
  
"Shinji, how do you feel?" Asuka asked again.  
  
Shinji sighed, "Like the last hundred times you asked, I'm fine."  
  
Asuka frowned. "I'm just worried, you were trapped in an Angel for a long time."  
  
Since being dropped of by Misato the two had spend the evening huddled together in Asuka's room, they laid on the bed and just cuddled without saying too much. Though every once in a while Asuka would inquire about Shinji, and he would tell her that he was fine. Asuka did not like the atmosphere in the room and the silence so she got up and popped a CD into her stereo. She returned to the bed and sat near the edge while Shinji lay on her pillow and stared at the ceiling. She looked at him and sighed.  
  
(A/N: The song will be defined using [ & ] symbols.)  
  
[I wanted, to be like you...I wanted everything]  
  
"Shinji...this isn't like you, what's wrong?" Asuka asked.   
  
[So I tried to be like you...And I got swept away]  
  
"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine." he answered.  
  
[I didn't know that, It was so cold and...]  
  
"Are...are you mad at me?" She asked.  
  
[You needed someone to show you the way...]  
  
He sat up and looked her in the eye, "No, of course not." he said. "Why would I be?"  
  
[So I took your hand and we figured out that...]  
  
Asuka looked down at her hands. "Well if you're not mad at me...why won't you tell me what's bugging you?" he opened his mouth. "No! I know you well enough that you're not fine!"  
  
[When the tide comes I'd take you away]  
  
Shinji looked at the stereo, he swallowed.   
  
"Asuka..." he looked back at her. "Do you...what do you feel when you're inside Eva?"  
  
"Huh?" Asuka said, confused.  
  
"Do you feel like there's someone with you when you pilot?" Shinji asked.  
  
"I know you're with me..." Asuka said and laid down next to him.   
  
That wasn't what Shinji had been asking about, but seeing Asuka, he dropped it.  
  
"Of course I am Asuka, I always will be."  
  
[If you want to, I can save you,  
  
I can take you away from here.  
  
So lonely inside,  
  
So busy out there,  
  
And all you wanted was somebody who cares.  
  
I'm sinking slowly...so hurry hold me  
  
Your hand is all I have to keep me hanging on!  
  
Please can you tell me...  
  
So I can finally see where you go when you're gone  
  
If you want to, I can save you,  
  
I can take you away from here.  
  
So lonely inside,  
  
So busy out there,  
  
And all you wanted was somebody who cares.  
  
All you wanted was somebody who cares  
  
If you need me you know I'll be there!  
  
Oh, yeah.  
  
If you want to, I can save you,  
  
I can take you away from here.  
  
So lonely inside,  
  
So busy out there,  
  
And all you wanted was somebody who cares.  
  
Please can you tell me...  
  
So I can finally see,  
  
Where you go when you're gone.]  
  
As the night continued Asuka and Shinji fell asleep on top of each other, they did not wake until the alarm rang and woke them the next day.  
  
"..mmm..." Asuka mumbled. "Hold on...."  
  
CRASH!  
  
She threw her alarm against the wall.  
  
"..." Asuka said and fell back asleep.  
  
Half an hour later Shinji woke up naturally, being a light sleeper. He saw the shattered remains of the alarm clock and checked the other clock on the wall.  
  
"Shit."  
  
He turned and tried to shake Asuka awake, after a few minutes she finally sat up.  
  
"...what is it..." she yawned.  
  
"We''re late for school!!" he yelled.  
  
Asuka blinked and looked at the clock.  
  
"Scheiße!" she yelled and ran out and into the bathroom.  
  
Shinji went to his room and put on a clean change of uniform and when to the kitchen to pack some lunch for them. Asuka came out in her uniform, hastily adjusting her hair clips.  
  
"Damn!" she cursed. "Why didn't that woman wake us!?"  
  
Shinji looked up at her form his work. "I don't think she's here..."  
  
"Did she stay at Kaji's all night!?" Asuka yelled. "I swear, that woman has no sense of morallity!"  
  
"Let's hurry!" Shinji said and the two bolted out the door.  
  
They ran all the way to school and were still ten minutes late, they got punished with clean up duty and a rumor around class about what they were doing that made them late. Shinji spent the day tring to convince people that he was not having sex with her in the morning. He also had to drag Asuka back away from the people she was about to kill because he doubted even an Eva pilot would get out of murder charges.  
  
At lunch, Asuka and Shinji sat with Hikari, but Toji was no where to be found.  
  
"Where is the jock?" Asuka asked, biting into a ham sandwich.  
  
"I wish I knew." Hikari said sadly, she didn't even touch her lunch, spending her time holding the one she had made for Toji in her lap and looking around the school yard.   
  
Shinji and Asuka were a little worried, it was not Toji to miss lunch, mush less when Hikari had made it for him.  
  
On top of the school roof, Toji stood against the railing, staring at the people below. His face was that of one deep in thought, yet with a slight frown. He was so absorbed that he didn't even hear the door where he had come up from had opened.  
  
"What is wrong Suzuhara?" a soft voice asked.  
  
He looked behind him.   
  
"Oh...Hiya Ayanami."  
  
(A/N: To see the rooftop scene, go to- pic 20)  
  
The blue haired girl approached him, and they stood in silence.  
  
"What...is it like?" Toji asked at last.  
  
Rei did not move her eyes from the spot she had been looking at on the grounds below, she answered though.  
  
"It is....what I must do. That is all there is to it." she said.  
  
Toji studied her for a minute.   
  
"Shinji...thinks that it is the worse experience."   
  
Rei looked up at last.  
  
"Ikari-kun is different from me, as are his experiences and views."  
  
Toji nodded.  
  
"This is also something I must do, for my sister..."  
  
Rei did not say anything, she looked at Toji staring off into space again, then she turned for the stairs.  
  
"Good luck, Forth Child..." she whispered, out of his earshot.  
  
When class ended Asuka and Shinji stayed behind to mop up the classroom and clean the boards. Asuka cleaned the boards while Shinji mopped the floor, he had offered to do both as Asuka was not used to labor but she declined, saying that they could finish quicker and go home. Shinji knew that wasn't it but he didn't protest, resigning to mopping with a smile on his face. After half an hour they were almost done, Shinji told Asuka that he was going to get a drink of water and left the classroom, in the hall he noticed another classroom door open. He peered inside, wondering who was still here at this hour. He spotted Toji's back near the windows, Shinji went in and greeted him.  
  
"Hey Toji," he said, Toji turned. "Where were you at lunch today, Hikari had made you lunch."  
  
"Oh..." Toji said. "Tell her I'm sorry."  
  
"Me?' Shinji asked. "You should go!"  
  
"I...have business to go to." Toji said looking away.  
  
"What kind of business?" Shinji asked, curious as to why Toji was acting so odd today.  
  
"Shinji," Toji put his hands on his shoulders. "I want you to do me a favor."  
  
"Anything I can do..." Shinji said.  
  
"If anything happens to me..." Toji said. "I want you to tell my sister...and Hikari, that I had to go and help people, and that I'm sorry that I can't see her no more."  
  
"What are you saying?" Shinji asked, thoroughly confused now.  
  
Toji put his hands back inside his jacket pocket.  
  
"You're a good friend Shinji." he said and smiled. "Take care of Asuka, or she'll take care of you!"  
  
He smiled again and left the room, leaving Shinji standing inside, completely confused.  
  
A/N: Some of you want to know what I'll do to poor Toji and Asuka don't you? Well, wait a few chapters for Asuka, but you'll find out about Toji in the next... BTW the song above is "All You Wanted" by Michell Branch. As always, authors love reviews.   
  
Later. - 


	16. Fourth Child Part 2

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Ok! Chapter 16, don't bite my head off. You wanted longer chapters!? Well here's your wish! Enjoy and review!   
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: If after all past 15 disclaimers you STILL think I own Eva...sigh...I pity you.  
  
Shinji and Asuka arrived home to find Misato preparing to leave, she was putting her shoes on by the door when they came in.  
  
"Hiya kids," she greeted. "I gotta run, there's a test in Matsushiro that I must attend for a few days, Kaji will take care of things here ok?"  
  
"Uh…sure Misato." Shinji said.  
  
"What test is this?" Asuka asked.  
  
Misato got her bag and walked to the door and opened it, she paused.   
  
"Evangelion Unit-03 has arrived." she said without turning and left.  
  
Asuka looked at Shinji, "Did you hear anything about a Unit-03?"  
  
(A/N: To see the two talking go )  
  
Shinji shook his head.  
  
"Oh well, I wonder who's gonna pilot it?" Asuka said going to her room to change.  
  
Shinji went over to the kitchen and got a bag of chips.  
  
"Another child, just like us...." he said and opened the bag.  
  
Kaji arrived in an hour with his suitcase and settled down in Misato's room, right after that he went to take a shower. Shinji and Asuka were making dinner...well, Shinji was, Asuka was watching Shinji and trying to pick up some points on how to turn raw food into edible meals. As Shinji took the soup off the stove Kaji came out in a bathrobe and sat down in a chair.  
  
(A/N: Top see Kaji at this point go to- pic 21)  
  
"Phew..." he said. "It's anarchy at Nerv..."  
  
Asuka came out and sat down opposite him.   
  
"What's wrong at Nerv?" she asked.  
  
Kaji hesitated for a minute but decided that they should know.  
  
"Evangelion Unit-04 was stolen." he said   
  
"WHAT!?" Asuka exclaimed. "How can someone steal a fifty-story bio-mech under Nerv's watch!?"  
  
"That's what everyone is concerned about..." Kaji said. "And the way it was stolen was incredible too..."  
  
"How was it stolen?" Asuka asked.  
  
"Well, from the reports I got, the Nevada branch where you used to train was testing some new power system on the Eva when two black planes shot out of the clouds and destroyed all their anti-air weapons in less than a minute, these   
  
planes had not been detected by radar and as soon as they destroyed the guns, they lowered a crane and just carried Eva-04 off."  
  
Asuka was stunned by this.  
  
"What about the our Evas!?" she demanded. "Are they safe!?"  
  
"Commander Ikari has ordered triple protection on the Evangelions and forbid anymore tests outside of the GeoFront." Kaji said.  
  
Shinji came in at this time with the stew, he had heard everything from the kitchen and asked.  
  
"What about Evangelion Unit-03? Didn't Misato say it's being tested in Matsushiro?"  
  
"True, but that test has been planned for awhile now. And they're afraid of the damage to Nerv and the GeoFront should it behave like Unit-00 in its first two tests." Kaji said as Shinji filled his bowl with stew. "Ikari has simply ordered some Nerv guards and extra artillery to watch over the test. And with Misato there I'm not too worried."  
  
"I see." Asuka said and then thanked Shinji as he filled her bowl.   
  
The boy did the same with his own and then another bowl which he placed on the ground, this done he sat down to eat. Kaji stared at the bowl on the floor.  
  
"Err...sacrificing to the gods Shinji?" Kaji asked.  
  
Shinji raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"  
  
Kaji motioned to the bowl on the floor, Shinji understood.   
  
"Pen-Pen! Your dinner's getting cold!"  
  
The small fridge by the door opened and the penguin poked his head out.  
  
"Wark?"  
  
"I said dinner."  
  
"Wark!"  
  
The penguin hopped out and went to its bowl, it sat down and lift the bowl up, pouring the content down. Kaji stared at the penguin's unusual eating behavior for a minute before he remembered something Misato had said. He went to his old clothes and got out a piece of paper, this he went back and handed to the penguin. Pen-Pen looked at the note curiously, as the children stared from Kaji to Pen-Pen. After studying the note several times the penguin gave a "Wark!" and returned to its fridge. It came out shortly carrying a bottle of high grade Shochu. (Shochu is a distilled spirit with a high alcohol content. Rice, sweet potatoes, wheat and sugar cane are some of the most common bases for Shochu)   
  
"Thanks Pen-Pen." Kaji said and handed the penguin five hundred yen as a tip.  
  
"Wark!" the penguin thanked and went back inside its fridge.  
  
Kaji popped open the bottle and looked at the two flabbergasted children.  
  
"Ah...well...Misato told me that I could ask Pen-Pen if I wanted special drinks...but I didn't know who or where he was until just now."  
  
"Oh..." the two children said together and the three continued to eat, making small conversations in between.  
  
When dinner was finished Kaji retired to Misato's room with the bottle of Shochu, Asuka helped Shinji with the dishes and then they went to Asuka's room to study.  
  
Elsewhere in Matsushiro, Misato, Ritsuko and Mya, along with plenty of Nerv staff awaited the arrival of Evangelion Unit-03. At around 9:00 p.m., scouts informed the command tent that there was a large object on approach from the Eastern direction. Misato and the others run out to the temporary landing pad and watch as the giant Evangelion Carrier with Eva-03 latched to the bottom slowly descended. Misato ordered the personnel to clear the way as the winds blew up from the massive power of the Carrier's thrusters. As it was about a hundred feet up, the Carrier lowered the crane holding Eva-03 as far as it'll go and released the locks. Eva-03 fell ten feet to the pad below and even that caused a small earthquake around the area. It's mission completed, the Carrier and its crew radioed the command tent and turned to head back to the U.S.. Now Misato and Ritsuko had the task of preparing the hunk of metal for the Fourth Child's first test. They first released all the locks and restraints they had placed on the Eva as it was being sent here. They then did a complete system check on the software and hardware of the Eva. It did not have an entry plug in case something happened and it activated. So Nerv had one prepared and sent with the receiving team and now that was inserted into the back of the Eva, at last Ritsuko gave the ok for the tests to begin.  
  
"Where is the Fourth Child?" Misato asked.  
  
Ritsuko looked behind her at the command tent's entrance, from inside a boy dressed in a black plug suit similar to Shinji's only instead of '01' being on the chest plate it was '03' emerged.   
  
(A/N: For a picture of this go to- pic 22)  
  
"I am here." He said.  
  
"Are you ready?" Ritsuko asked.  
  
"As I'll ever be..." he said and moved to the edge of the pad and looked up at his new Evangelion. "Let's get this over with."  
  
"Start the testing sequence!" Dr. Akagi ordered.  
  
Maya configured the Fourth Child's LCL pressure and harmonics, she then made final system checks and monitored the pilot-Eva synch level, as soon as the Forth Child passes the 10.0 barrier, the test would be a success.   
  
"How're you doing Toji?" Misato asked.  
  
"Not bad...but...it feels...weird.." he answered.  
  
"What do you mean?" Ritsuko asked sharply.  
  
"Uh...it's like...there's something to reverses the link flow...like...from the Eva...to me..."  
  
Then all hell broke lose, one second Maya was screaming that the Eva generated a Type Blue signature, the next second Eva-03 ripped out of the clumsy field set up restraints and rose to it's full height. The Nerv forces sent to protect the Unit now fired their gun torrents and missles at it, the weapons had no efect except to direct the rouge Eva's attention to the Nerv forces. It gave a primal roar and leaped up, carsing down onto the missle launchers and then swiping the guns with is clawed hands. The Nerv defenders retreated and Eva-03 now turned to trash the command tent while the three women were still trying to figure out what happened. As Misato saw the giant form of the Eva outside she grabbed Ritsuko and Maya by their collars and ran out the back way only to have the tent come crashing down around them.  
  
"Alert! Pattern Blue signal detected coming from Matsushiro!" Makoto yelled.  
  
"Isn't that where we are having Unit-03's activation test!?" Kozo demanded.  
  
"Yes," Aoba said. "Been trying to radio Major Katsurigi, no response...Dr. Akagi and Lt. Ibuki aren't answering either!"  
  
Kozo leaned down next to Ikari and whispered in his ear.   
  
"Is this part of the plan? Eva Unit-03 and the 13th?"  
  
Gendo nodded, then stood up.  
  
"Bring up a visual on the target!" he ordered.  
  
(A/N: For a picture of the rouge Eva go to- pic 23)  
  
The screen changed to the camera from a VTOL helicopter, the dark blue Eva now was moving directly towards the city at top speed. Gendo ordered the pilots summoned and then launched.  
  
Kaji was aroused from his sleep by the loud ringing of his cell phone, it took several rings before he got up and answered.  
  
"What the hell?" he demanded, annoyed that someone would call at this time. Aoba's voice came from the other end.  
  
[Agent Rouji! The pilots need to report to Nerv immediately! There's been an accident at Matsushiro and the 13th Angel is attacking!]  
  
"What!?" Kaji yelled, fully awakened. "What about Major Katsurigi and the others!?"  
  
[Unknown at this time, just get the pilots here!] he hung up.  
  
Kaji ran out of the room and down the hall to Asuka's, he opened the door and saw Shinji and Asuka sleeping in her bed, he didn't even bother with a joke.  
  
"GUYS!" he yelled, they woke up, "THERE'S BEEN AN ACCIDENT AT MATSUSHRIO! THE 13th ANGEL IS HERE!"  
  
Shinji and Asuka jumped out of bed, "Misato!?"  
  
"I don't know, but we had better get to Nerv!" Kaji said.  
  
The three hastily threw on some coats and pants then dashed out the door and sped to Nerv in Kaji's silver BMW 325I. When they arrived Rei was already suiting up so they bade Kaji goodbye and ran for the lockers, within five   
  
minutes all three Eva pilots were in their respective entry plugs and being loaded into their Evas. The three Evas were launched without the EMWAP units and deployed in formation above the GeoFront.   
  
"What now?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Since Major Katsurigi's is not present, I will take command of this operation." Commander Ikari said.  
  
"Father...?" Shinji whispered.  
  
"There he comes...." Asuka said.  
  
The three pilots and the command center watched as the Eva appeared from behind a hill and turned its head towards them, it growled.  
  
(A/N: For a picture of the rouge Eva go to- pic 24)  
  
"Target sighted." Rei said.  
  
"Attack." Gendo ordered.  
  
"Is the pilot still inside?" Shinji asked but the other two girls had already started.  
  
Rei aimed her riffle but Asuka leaped in, flourishing her spear. Unit-03 turned and side kicked at Unit-02, Asuka dodged it and rolled around and trusted her spear at Unit-03. It grabbed the spear point and twisted it out of Unit-02's hands, it threw the weapon down and punched Unit-02 in the head.  
  
"Ahhhh!!" Asuka screamed as her Eva flew backwards into the hill.   
  
"Asuka! Hold on!" Shinji yelled.  
  
Unit-01 and Unit-00 were armed with long-range weapons but couldn't use them while Asuka was fighting it at close range, Shinji saw Asuka go down and looked at Ayanami, she nodded, they both dropped their riffles and pulledout their Prog. Knifes. They charged at Unit-03. Unit-03 went over to the hill and grabbed the red Eva by its yellow neck and began to crush it, Asuka could feel her windpipe being crushed, she screamed and kicked at the out of control Eva without success. The Unit-01 and 00 arrived and plunged their Knifes into Unit-03's back, it roared and swung Unit-02 around releasing it at the last second, sending it crashing into the other two units. Unit-03 reached behind it and pulled out the two Knifes, it growled again. Rei got up and tacked it, but Unit-03 stabbed the Knifes into Unit-00's back and Rei gasped out in pain.  
  
"Ayanami!" Shinji yelled.  
  
Asuka and Shinji untangled their Evas and got to their feet, Asuka was still smarting from the Eva's attempt to break her neck but Shinji rushed Unit-03 head on before it could tear Unit-00's arm off. As Unit-03 was about to try that, Unit-01 rammed into it and they both ended up skidding into the hill again. Eva-03 was on top and punched down at Unit-01's head with its right arm, Shinji moved his head to the side and the force from Unit-03's punch got its hand caught in the hill. Unit-01 took this chance and reared up and kicked Unit-03's chest as hard as it could with both legs, Unit-03 was sent flying, tearing its hand in the process. Asuka had recovered a bit and retrieved her spear, Unit-03 was on the ground so Asuka leaped up, coming down she aimed the spear at the center of the Eva. It rolled to the side and Asuka came down on nothing, even getting her spear stuck in the ground, Eva-03 got up and swiped as hard as it could at Unit-02's head.   
  
"Eject the plug!" Kozo ordered from the command bridge.  
  
Asuka couldn't dodge in time and the force of the blow plus the claws ended up taking Eva-02's head off, luckily Kozo's last minute order got through and Asuka was ejected at the last second.  
  
"Asuka!' Shinji screamed, but clamed down a bit when he saw the plug shoot out.  
  
He looked at Unit-00, there was no way Rei could continue, same with Asuka, he turned back to Unit-03. They circled each other slowly, ready to lunge at the fist sign of an attack. Unit-03's foot moved forward and Shinji leaped up and jump kicked Unit-03. It fell back and Unit-01 landed in front of it, Unit-01 grabbed it and lifted it up then punched it in the face. The Eva groaned and swiped at Unit-01's head with its left hand, Shinji grabbed the incoming hand with the arm Unit-01 wasn't using to hold Unit-03 up and pulled. Unit-03's left arm soon gave and was pulled out by the bone, causing large amounts of blood to spill over the edge of the city streets. Unit-03 groaned, Unit-01's eyes narrowed and flung the Eva backwards, it crashed to the floor. As it did, the back armor covering the entry plug was knocked loose and Shinji caught a glimpse of a plug.  
  
"Oh god!" he yelled backing away. "There's still someone inside!"  
  
Unit-03 saw its advantage and jumped back to its feet, it ran at Unit-01 and lifted its right leg up, pinning Unit-01's head against the hill. Eva-03 applied more strength to its leg and cracks on Unit-01's head armor began to form.  
  
"Shinji! Why do you do nothing!?" Gendo demanded.  
  
"There's still someone inside!" Shinji gasped from the pain. "I can't!"  
  
"It's him or you!" Gendo yelled..  
  
Shinji continued to grunt in pain but did not respond.  
  
"Damn it!" Gendo yelled and turned to Makoto. "You there, activate the Dummy System!"  
  
"But sir..."   
  
"Just do it!" Gendo roared.  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Shinji watched as the cracks formed around his plug. 'Damn, I'm sorry Asuka...but I can't...kill...'  
  
Then his plug went black.   
  
"What the hell?" he asked in confusion.  
  
Then the plug was bathed in a red emergency light, Shinji looked at the monitor.   
  
Dummy Plug System:  
  
REI  
  
Activated   
  
Shinji's eyes widened, "What is this-"  
  
The Eva reactivated and Shinji watched in horror as his Eva's arms shot out and grabbed Unit-03 by its neck, Unit-01 rose up and tightened its grip. Unit-03 squirmed and Unit-01 threw it to the floor, as the Eva tried to get up again   
  
(A/N: For a picture of Unit01's counter attack go to- pic 25)  
  
Unit-01 brought its knee down as hard as it could on the head and it exploded like a watermelon.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!" Shinji screamed.  
  
Eva-01 continued to trash and tear the Eva apart until it reached the spine and tore the entry plug out.  
  
"OH GOD FATHER! DON'T DO IT!! STOP THIS THING! PLEASE FATHER!!!"  
  
Gendo made no indication he heard his son's pleas, the whole bridge watched him as he stood in his box and watch Unit-01 tighten its grip.  
  
"DAMN YOU FATHER!" Shinji screamed as he saw the blood and LCL seep out of the plug.  
  
(A/N: For a picture of the entry plug go to- pic 26)  
  
When the Evas were recovered, Rei as sent to the hospital, Asuka had tried to find Shinji, she finally did. He was yelling at Gendo Ikari like never before, Gendo finally had enough and ordered his guards to have the boy removed from his presence. Shinji's face contorted with rage and had not Asuka and Gendo's guards pulled him back he would have punched him.  
  
"That course of action is not advised Third." Gendo said coolly.  
  
"FUCK YOU!" Shinji screamed. "YOU CAN FIND ANOTHER GUY! I AIN"T GONNA GET INSIDE THAT DAMN THING ANYMORE!"   
  
"Very well, you can hand in your card tomorrow." Gendo said and left with his guards.  
  
Shinji leaned against the hallway wall and sobbed, Asuka led him to a bench nearby and let his cry on he lap, she looked down at him and couldn't help feeling a sense of uselessness.  
  
'Eva or otherwise...' Asuka thought.  
  
A/N: Wow, poor Toji huh? And worse for Hikari...but fear not...Toji will drop by again...MAYBE, I make no guarantees.. We'll find out more about Misato's fate and such next ch! As always, authors love reviews.   
  
Later. - 


	17. BattleScars

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Ok! Chapter 17, well well, I've finally updated...sorry, had a bad case of the flu and felt like shit...now enjoy my hard work.  
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: At this point...do I really need one?  
  
"...huh...Kaji..?" Misato said, dazed.  
  
She was lying down on a stretcher, near the wreckage of the temporary field command tent. There were Nerv rescue units all over the place, combing the area for survivors. Kaji stood next to her stretcher, a relived smile on his face.   
  
"How're you feeling Misato?" he asked leaning closer.  
  
"Emmm….like an Eva fell on me…." The Major responded.  
  
"And one did, or don't you remember?" Kaji said grinning.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Kaji stood up and gestured behind him, Misato raised her head off the stretcher a little and saw another stretcher bearing Dr. Akagi who was awake and talking to a medic, and yet another with Maya on it though she was still out cold.  
  
"You three were found at the edge of the ruins of the tent, from what Ritsuko told us you grabbed them and ran for it when Unit-03 came stomping your way." Kaji said. "And that saved all three of you.'  
  
"…oh yeah…" Misato said rubbing her head, when her memory came back and hit her head on, she snapped her head up.  
  
"What about Unit-03!? And the pilot!?" Misato demanded.  
  
Kaji's face darkened and he dropped his humor.   
  
"Unit-03 has been completely destroyed…and the Fourth Child…was…killed in the battle." He said.  
  
Misato closed her eyes and looked awayt.   
  
"Damn! Toji…he was…that was his first…he didn't even want to…oh god, I still haven't told Shinji!!" she sobbed.  
  
Kaji took her hand, "He knows…"  
  
Misato stared at him ,"…How's he taking it?"  
  
Kaji shook his head, "Not good…."  
  
"AAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Shinji screamed and punched the wall, "TOJI!!"  
  
He sank to the floor and cupped his face in his hands, crying his eyeballs out. Asuka knelt next to him, unsure what to say or do, despite how she usually treated him she never hated the jock and she certainly did not want him dead. But he was, and not only has she lost a fellow classmate and pilot, her boyfriend had taken the news quite hard.  
  
"DAMN YOU FATHER!!" Shinji screamed again.  
  
Asuka patted his back but he just cried even louder. They were in a hallway that led from the cages to the lockers. Since Commander Ikari left Shinji had remained at the spot and continued to cry with Asuka trying to comfort him. After a while Makoto came running by on the way to get a report from the rescue operations director when he saw the two pilots, he decided to break the news to them.  
  
"The pilot of Evangelion Unit-03 has been confirmed deceased, the Fourth Child, Toji Suzuhara. Wasn't he a classmate of yours?"  
  
Shinji stopped crying upon hearing this report, his eyes widened and he sort of stared at Makoto for a minute, even after he went on his way Shinji contined to stare at the spot he stood at. The confirmation of the fact had sunk in, somehow, the two had hoped that by a miracle he would have survived. Asuka was in a similar state but she snapped out of it, she then turned to Shinji and shook him lightly.  
  
"Shinji…?" she whispered.  
  
"…it can't be him…it can't be him…" he kept repeating.  
  
"Shinji…it-" Asuka began.  
  
"IT CAN'T BE HIM!!!" Shinji exploded and grabbed his head with both his hands. "NOT TOJI!!!"  
  
So now Asuka knelt next to Shinji, he continued to morn and Asuka tried to stop him again, she reached out for his shoulder when Shinji snapped around and fell into her lap and wrapped his arms around her waist, to Asuka's surprise.  
  
"Asuka…" he sobbed. "it can't be…Toji…."  
  
She put one arm around Shinji's neck stroked his hair with the other while looking up at the artificial lights that lined the ceilings of Nerv.  
  
"I'm sorry Shinji…" she whispered.  
  
They remained like that for a long while, with Shinji venting his sorrow the whole time.  
  
"Oh Jesus…" Misato said as she looked over the aftermath of the last fight.  
  
After she had regain consciousness and Kaji had filled her in on recent events, Misato had demanded to be released from medical care so she could go assess the damage and see how her charges were doing. After some arguing with the head Medic and Kaji they relented and Misato was released with a sling around her arm and a stern warning from the Medic not to use that arm for a week. She nodded and dragged Kaji to his car and had him drive her to the battle site. She now stood on top of a pile of rubble and looked around her, there was one thing covering all surfaces, blood, blood and more blood. All from Eva unit-03, which now rested, what remained of it, in a small pile a few hundred yards from where Misato stood.  
  
"Shinji did this…?" Misato whispered.  
  
"No, Unit-01 did this."   
  
Misato glanced behind her and saw Kaji walking up next to her.  
  
"It…went berserker again?" Misato asked.  
  
"No." Kaji said looking at the pile of Unit-03 parts.  
  
Misato turned to him and stared. After a while Kaji answered at her, but his glace never left the pile of parts.  
  
"It was Ikari, he used the experimental Dummy Plug System."  
  
"That bastard!" Misato cursed. "Why!?"  
  
Kaji studied the floor.  
  
"Because Shinji refused to pilot his Evangelion after discovering the Entry Plug embedded in Unit-03. Therefore Ikari ordered the Eva's control switched to the Dummy Plug."  
  
Misato scowled and looked back at the heap of Eva parts.  
  
"The Fourth Child…are you sure?" Misato said.  
  
Kaji looked at her, then he pointed to a spot right of the Eva parts. Misato followed his direction and gasped and covered her mouth with her uninjured hand, there was the crushed Entry Plug of Unit-03, there were some Nerv units around it in yellow bio-suits, two of them were carrying a long black bag.  
  
"Oh my god…" she said weakly.  
  
Kaji put his arms around her shoulder, "Killed in the line of duty…his family has been informed."  
  
Misato buried her head in Kaji's chest and sobbed.  
  
"A kid…fourteen years old!…" she cried. "And he had a crush on me I think…." Misato added.  
  
"Eva is cursed." Kaji said simply.  
  
Asuka had managed to coax Shinji into showering and then returning home after an hour of crying in that hallway. She led him into her room and sat him down on the bed, he hadn't said a word since leaving Nerv and his face was blank, it reminded Asuka of Rei.   
  
"Shinji, are you alright? Do you want something to eat?" she asked sitting down next to him.  
  
He looked at her and shook his head, Asuka didn't know what to do, she had never seen Shinji act this way though she suppose Toji was as close a friend as he ever had.   
  
"Well...if you're hungry tell me, in the meantime…why don't you get some sleep?" she suggested with a forced smile.  
  
Shinji nodded, "Thank you Asuka..." he said shakily.  
  
Asuka lifted up the covers and Shinji dropped like a sack of potatoes onto it and Asuka put the covers over him and then kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Call if you need anything ok?" she said as she went towards the door.  
  
Shinji didn't respond, Asuka turned out the lights and went out into the living room. She flopped down on the couch and rested her face in her hands.  
  
"I don't know what to do…" she whispered. "Shinji…"  
  
A/N: Huh, I have a hunch some people hate me about killing off Toji...But we'll see what happens eh? As always, authors love reviews. Later. - 


	18. The Warrior Angel

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Ok! Chapter 18, starting to get good here huh? Hahaha, I an fully confident that I won't disappoint your expectations of this story, now enjoy !  
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: Why bother?  
  
"How is the clean up going?" Maya asked.  
  
"They got most of the blood off of the streets, but the buildings and street lights and the like still need to be cleaned." Aoba said while trying to rewrite some data meant for Eva-01. Makoto stopped his test run on the new Progressive Katana theory models and looked up at the screen above him.  
  
"….Is that….?"  
  
The other two bridge operators looked up at him and then followed his gaze.  
  
"HOLY SHIT!" Aoba screamed.  
  
"ANGEL!!" Maya yelled.  
  
"What!?" Fuyuzuki demanded from the command box.  
  
"Confirmed Angel activity sir!" Makoto said and brought up the data from the orbital sensors.  
  
"Damn…this one's mean…" he said as he looked over its power and AT-Field readings.  
  
"Go to red alert!" Kozo ordered. "Alert the First and Second Child, prepare for surface-to-air countering!"  
  
"…NO GOOD!!" Aoba yelled. "Komagatake defense lines have already been annihilated!"   
  
(A/N: To see Aoba and Makoto at their stations go to- pic 27)  
  
"Say what!?" Kozo gasped.  
  
Asuka was awakened from her nap by the loud ringing of her cell phone.  
  
"Arr….." she groaned, she had fallen asleep on the couch and had cramps all over her back.  
  
She struggled to her feet and walked over to the small cabinet by the door where she had left her phone.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked.  
  
[Asuka!] Maya yelled from the other end. [Oh god! There's an Angel attack!]  
  
"What!?" Asuka yelled back, fully awake.  
  
[Yes! Over half of the front defensive lines have already been destroyed, you need to get here right away!]  
  
"What about Shinji!?"   
  
[I was not told to summon him…I think they were serious about him handing in his card.]  
  
"I see…I'll be there as soon as possible!" Asuka said and hung up.  
  
She looked down at her phone for a moment.  
  
"Go on."   
  
Startled, Asuka turned and saw Shinji at the entrance to the hallway, a dead look on his face.  
  
"Shinji…"  
  
"Go, but you and Rei need to be careful..." he said flatly.  
  
Asuka walked up to him "We will Baka-kun..."  
  
Shinji opened his arms and Asuka flew into them.  
  
"See that you do." he said again.  
  
Asuka nodded, broke the hug and with a last look at him ran out the door, Shinji watched her go and then went after her to go to the shelters.  
  
BAM!!!  
  
"HOLY SHIT! THAT ONE BLAST DESTROYED EIGHTEEN LAYERS OF ARMOR PLATING!!!" Makoto screamed.  
  
"Damn it, are the Evas ready for launch!?" Kozo yelled.  
  
"Negative," Aoba said. "Rei is still changing and Asuka hasn't arrived, even then Eva-00 is only at 67% efficiently and Eva-02's head is still unstable and can't engage in combat for long. And none of the horses are in combat shape after last time's beating."  
  
"Send Rei out in Unit-01." a voice said.  
  
The bridge looked to see Commander Ikari arrive, he didn't seem to notice that the whole bridge including Kozo was looking at him with scarcely hid anger.  
  
"Yes sir..." Maya said and informed Rei via the P.A. system in the girl's locker.  
  
When she was done she looked back to the commander, "The First Child understands her orders and also, the Second Child has arrived."  
  
"Excellent." Gendo said and proceeded up to the command box to join Fuyuzuki.  
  
Just then the door slid open and a heavily bandaged Major and a similar looking Head Scientist came running in.  
  
"Status!?" they yelled together.  
  
"Asuka is changing, Rei is ready and is proceeding to Unit-01." Maya responded.  
  
Dr. Akagi rushed to help with the launch prep.  
  
"When Rei is ready position her in front of the GeoFront Entrance!" Misato yelled.  
  
"Understood."  
  
Rei had finished changing and was running at top speed for Eva-01's hanger. When she arrived she leaped into the pilot seat on the side and activated the systems. A crane came down and picked her up and then set her inside of the plug protruding from Unit-01's spine. The hatch closed and the plug screwed itself into position. When it was done Rei prepared to activate the Eva when an immense pain hit her.  
  
"Ahhhh!" she cried.  
  
{LEAVE!}  
  
"Ahhhhh!!" she cried again.  
  
{YOU BITCH, GET OUT!!}  
  
The plug shot out of the Eva again and Rei sat in the seat, breathing heavily and clutching her aching head.  
  
"..owww...."  
  
"Sir! Unit-01 has rejected the First Child as pilot!" Aoba yelled.  
  
"Hmm!?" Gendo's eyes narrowed and he looked over to the screen that showed the Eva's face.  
  
"Why Yui?" he whispered.   
  
"Might be best to not force it Ikari..." Kozo whispered behind him.  
  
Gendo nodded.  
  
"Sortie Rei in Unit-00, prepare Unit-01 for action using the Dummy Plug."  
  
"But Rei is-" Misato began.  
  
"It's not a problem, I'll go." Rei said through the com.  
  
Quietly she said to herself, "If I die, I can easily be replaced..."  
  
"What is the status on the Second Child?" Gendo asked.  
  
"Asuka is ready and being inserted into Unit-02." Ritsuko said.  
  
"It's taking too long!" Misato yelled. "The Angel is at our doors, launch Unit-02 in the GeoFront right in front of Headquarters! Send Unit-00 when it's ready!"   
  
(A/N: To see Misato at the command station go to- pic 28)  
  
"Understood", Makoto said. "Asuka, it's on you now."   
  
{Yeah yeah, Unit-02, engage!}  
  
The red war machine blasted out of catapult 3 and landed in front of HQ, the ground opened up and a giant gray metal container shot out. It opened to reveal every possible weapon for Unit-02.  
  
"Oh yeah, big toys and a perfect target...." Asuka said and took out two duel machine rifles.   
  
Above, Zeruel broke through the last armor plating and began to burrow into the GeoFront, the minute its head appeared at the top of the dome Asuka let lose a barrage of fire onto the Angel, undeterred, it continued to descend into the GeoFront.  
  
"Damn it!" she cursed as her guns clicked empty.  
  
She threw them aside and picked up two mini rocket launchers.  
  
"Eat this!" she yelled and fired.  
  
The tons of missiles flew towards the Angel and it was soon engulfed in the explosion.  
  
"I'm neutralizing its AT-Field aren't I!?" Asuka yelled.  
  
She got her answer when two ribbon like appendages came flying out of the cloud of explosions and sliced her arms off at the shoulder joints.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" she screamed, feeling the pain as if it were her own arms that had been severed.   
  
Asuka looked up at the advancing Zeruel and growled.   
  
"You son of a-" she yelled at she rushed it.  
  
"ASUKA NO!" Misato yelled, she turned to Makoto. "Severer her nerve connections now!"  
  
Asuka's eyes widened as she saw the ribbon arm slice towards her face, seconds before it hit she felt her Eva shut down, then there was a horrible crunching noise, announcing that her Eva had been decapitated again.  
  
"NO!!" she screamed and hit her control sticks. "DAMN IT!! Not again...."  
  
Shinji sat at a shelter bunker in the GeoFront with the other people that evacuated from Tokyo-Three above them. He heard scared whispers around him, saw frightened faces and felt the fear that hung in the air. He was reflecting on the last battle again when he noticed a whistling sound and the north wall blew in. Shinji had raised his hands in front of him on reflex and as he lowered them he saw what had caused the explosion, the head of Eva-02 stared at him. He paled.  
  
"Asuka!" he gasped.  
  
He ran out side among the people screaming and trying to get to another shelter, he saw the armless and head less Unit-02 standing still next to the giant pyramid of Nerv and an enormous Angel blasting the ground next to the two.   
  
"Shinji-kun."   
  
Shinji turned and saw Kaji standing there a smile on his face and his hands in his pockets.  
  
"What are you doing here?" they both asked the other.  
  
Kaji laughed. "Well, Ikari seems to have found out about my other job, and since then I have been removed from active duty."   
  
"Oh..." Shinji said.  
  
Kaji continued to look at him, "What about you Shinji?'  
  
"Oh...I've decided not to pilot again."  
  
Kaji nodded and sighed. "Oh? That's a shame..."  
  
"What do you mean?" Shinji asked.  
  
Kaji looked over Shinji's head, "Take a look behind you."  
  
Shinji turned and saw Unit-00 come up on the catapult with a positron rifle.  
  
"Ayanimi!" Shinji gasped.  
  
Rei summoned her courage and charged headlong towards the digging Angel and put out a continues burst of gunfire. The Angel turned and shot one of its ribbons at Rei, it connected with her riffle tip and cut the weapon in half, Rei ducked in time to avoid a follow up swipe and rolled away. She got up quickly and pulled out her prog. knife.  
  
"AT-Field full power..." she whispered and charged.  
  
Zeruel waited for Unit-00 to get close then threw up its AT-Field, Rei stabbed her knife at its core and tried to push it through the Angel's on..."  
  
The knife cut through and was about to get Zeruel in the core when a shell covering appeared over the core, rending Rei's knife useless.  
  
"Ah!" Rei gasped in surprise.  
  
Zeruel took this chance to plunge both its ribbon arms into Unit-00's chest.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rei screamed.  
  
"Rei!" Everyone at the command center and Shinji yelled.  
  
"Ahh..." she groaned.  
  
As it felt Unit-00 go limp, Zeruel lifted it up and threw it down on the ground and stabbed Unit-00 in its glass mono-eye.  
  
Rei screamed again.  
  
"How is that Dummy Plug coming!?" Gendo demanded.  
  
"It won't take it!" Aoba yelled in frustration.  
  
"What do you mean!?" Kozo yelled.  
  
"Unit-01 is refusing all our efforts to start up the dummy plug! It just won't activate!" Aoba yelled.  
  
Kozo turned to Gendo, "Yui always was on the stubborn side..."  
  
"I know...and you don't even want to know how much of a handful she is in bed..." Gendo murmured.  
  
Kozo blinked, "Err...."  
  
Shinji witness the defeat of Unit-00 and fell back onto the grassy floor.  
  
"Rei..."   
  
Kaji cam up next to him and looked at the deactivated Evas.  
  
"Well, back to my watering..." he said with a sigh.  
  
Shinji looked up blankly at him. "Huh?"  
  
Kaji smiled and motioned him to follow him. Shinji did and Kaji led him to a patch of land with watermelons growing all over.  
  
(A/N: For a picture of this go to- pic 29)  
  
"Wow..." Shinji said.  
  
"Yes," Kaji said. "my hard work."   
  
He took a watering can from the edge of the field and started to sprinkle water on the fruits.  
  
"You're watering!?" Shinji exclaimed. "At a time like this!?"  
  
"Is a better time? Though I'd rather be between Misato's melons, this is the place I'd like to be when I die." Kaji said.  
  
"Die!?" Shinji blinked.  
  
"Yes, didn't you know? It is said that if an Angel comes into contact with Adam who lies sleeping below this very ground, all humans will be eradicated in what will be Third Impact. The one thing that can prevent that is the one thing with a power equal to an Angel, Evangelion, and you guys who pilot them." Kaji said.  
  
"Third Impact...." Shinji whispered.   
  
"But I can't so anything to help anyway!" he yelled. "All I do is hurt people when I pilot Eva."  
  
"Eva is a horrible power," Kaji agreed. "But when harnessed for a better purpose, it can do good."  
  
"I killed!" Shinji yelled. "My best friend!"  
  
Kaji looked sternly at him "That was an accident, your father caused that tragedy, not you. Moreover have you though about how many lives you did save?"  
  
Shinji looked up into his eyes.  
  
"You think this city above us would still stand if not for you and the girls?" Kaji asked.  
  
"I..."  
  
"Look, Shinji, all I can do is water here. But you, there is something that you can do, and ONLY you can do. Nobody's forcing you, think for yourself and decide for yourself ...what you should do now, and to have no regrets."   
  
"Kaji-san...' Shinji began but stopped soon.  
  
He thought about what Kaji had said and the answer came to him.  
  
"Thanks Kaji!" Shinji said and turned to run towards Nerv at full speed.  
  
"Good luck Shinji-kun." Kaji said and smiled at his watermelons, he continued to water.  
  
"It's hopeless..." Makoto said. "Unit-01 will not power up."  
  
"Try again," Gendo said. "Repeat at step 108."  
  
BOOOOMMM!!!  
  
"What the hell was that!?" Kozo yelled as he got up off the floor.  
  
"IT'S THE MAIN SHAFT!!" Misato yelled. "THE ANGEL HAS BROKEN THROUGH, CENTRAL DOGMA IS COMPLETELY EXPOSED!!!"  
  
"Ikari..." Kozo whispered.  
  
Gendo looked over at the bridge techs, they shook their heads. Gendo sighed.  
  
"Let me pilot Unit-01!"   
  
The whole bridge looked at the right screen and saw Shinji standing in front of Unit-01.  
  
"You!" Gendo hissed. "I thought you said you quit!"  
  
"Father..." Shinji mustered up his determination. "I've changed my mind! I will pilot Unit-01 to help people!"  
  
(A/N: TO see SHinji confront his father go to- pic 30)  
  
Gendo looked over his son, then he turned to Maya and nodded.  
  
"Understood, prep-" Maya began. "what the hell!?"  
  
"What's wrong?" Dr. Akagi asked.  
  
"Unit-01 has activated by itself..." Maya said.  
  
Then the giant display in front of them blew in and in came the Angel, the bridge watched as it began to power up its eye beam.  
  
"Oh god." Misato said.  
  
Shinji saw his father nod at someone off-screen and waited for the hatch to open, when it did he climbed into the plug grabbed the spare neural hairclips in the armrest of the pilot seat and strapped in.  
  
"Unit-01 ready!" he yelled.  
  
"Shinji-" Maya began.  
  
"Never mind!" Misato's voice interrupted. "The Angel's here!"  
  
Shinji felt the restraints on Unit-01 release and he instantly charged through the wall in front of him into the control room where the Angel had its eye beam ready. Shinji punched the surprised beast through the other wall and into the launch catapult bays.   
  
"Shinji!" several people on the bridge cheered.  
  
Shinji grabbed Zeruel by its face and slammed it onto a catapult, the Angel managed to flick one of its arms and sliced Unit-01's left arm off. Bearing the pain, Shinji kicked the Angel and pinned it against the catapult.  
  
"Misato!" he yelled.  
  
She understood at once, "Launch catapult 3!" she yelled to Makoto.  
  
Shinji and Zeruel shot straight up the tunnel, with Eva-01 pinning it against the speeding walls the whole time. When they reached the top they flew out of the opening and landed with a crash in the forested lands around Nerv. The bridge crew ran out of the main building to watch the fight and try to help with the smaller computers they had.  
  
"Ahhhh!!!"  
  
With a cry Shinji back flipped and charged forward the minute his Eva's feet met the floor to tackled Zeruel against a hill. It recovered quickly and shot an arm at Unit-01, Shinji dodged and grabbed the arm and pulled. Zeruel grunted as Unit-01 tried to tear its arm off, then suddenly the purple Eva went silent.  
  
"Power supply has run out..." Maya said sadly.  
  
"No Shinji!" Misato screamed.  
  
Zeruel picked Unit-01 up by its head and tossed him into the same hill Shinji had pinned Zeruel against. It fired an eye beam and blew away all of Unit-01's frontal armor, exposing a strange orb-like casing at the center of the Eva.  
  
"What's that?" Maya asked.  
  
"..." Ritsuko didn't reply, she continued to watch the fight with fear in her eyes.  
  
Zeruel saw the core and began to stab at it mercilessly, inside Shinji felt the impacts and saw the cracks forming on the outer casing of his Entry Plug. He was desperately trying to get his Eva to restart, but his attempts were futile.   
  
"No! No! No!" he cried. "Move you stupid hunk of junk! Move!! If you don't there's no point to any of this! Everything and everyone will be destroyed! So please MMOOOVVVEEE!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Thump  
  
Shinji stopped at the sound, he listened closely, it wasn't from the Angel's attack or anything...it was...from the Eva itself. It sounded like the beating of a heart, the sound of life...  
  
{Shinji...}  
  
Then it all went black for him.  
  
"Rooaaarrr!!!"  
  
Unit-01's eyes lit up and it reached up to grab the two oncoming ribbons in its hands, with a jerk it pulled the Angel to the ground face first and slammed a foot on top of it.  
  
"Rooaarr!"  
  
Unit-01 then leaped up and flipped around to come crashing down on the Angel.  
  
"Arrrrrrgggggghhhhh!!!" now it was Zeruel's turn to scream.  
  
It tried to flip over to be able to fight but Unit-01 grabbed both its ribbon arms and twisted them off in a similar fashion as what it had done to the Third Angel. As Zeruel withered around in pain, Unit-01 put the torn Angel flesh to its stump where the left arm used to be. As soon as the Angel flesh made contact it grew into another arm.  
  
"Oh my god..." Misato gasped.  
  
Some people threw up.  
  
"How can this be? It must be wrong...how can Shinji's synch ratio be over 400%!?" Maya said.  
  
"Oh no...it's happened, she's awake!" Ritsuko said as she looked at the Eva.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Makoto asked.  
  
"Eva...Eva is..." Ritsuko stuttered.  
  
"Look!" Aoba yelled, the whole group turned its attention back to the giants.  
  
Eva-01's body started to bulge out, it expanded to the point where pieces of armor started to break off.   
  
"Oh god, the bindings!" Ritsuko gasped.  
  
"Ok!" Misato grabbed her by the collar. "That's it, there's something really not right about this. When are you gonna start telling us just what the hell is Evangelion!?"  
  
"....I will tell you this," Ritsuko began slowly. "Eva is a beast, the armor was suppose to double as restraints that allowed it to be controlled, but the beast inside has awaked at last and is breaking free of our hold."  
  
Misato looked at Ritsuko with a horrified look.   
  
"You don't even know what exactly or how it works exactly do you?" she asked.  
  
Ritsuko remained silent, Misato let go of her.  
  
"You have children piloting such a horrible thing that you don't know the first thing about!?"   
  
Again, Ritsuko did not respond, as Misato was going to say something Unit-01 roared again and they turned to look.  
  
Unit-01 was now acting like an animal, it got on all fours and was howling like mad. As Zeruel started to try and raise itself without its arms Unit-01 dashed over and got on top of it.  
  
"Rooaarr!"  
  
As Zeruel roared and tried to fight Unit-01 off it grabbed Zeruel by the face and held it down, then it raised its head and sank its jaws into the Angel.  
  
"Rooaaarrrrrr!!!!'  
  
"Holy shit! Unit-01's gonna eat it!" Maya gasped.  
  
Indeed, Eva-01 continued to devour the Angel and its S2 while it was still alive and trying desperately to stop the mad Eva. But soon the Angel was completely ingested, Unit-01 stood up, blood covering every inch of its body and leaking from its mouth. It roared and the hard shell at its chest spilt at the middle and opened to reveal a shinning red orb.  
  
"An S2 organ!" Ritsuko gasped.  
  
Inside Nerv in Ikari's office, he and Kozo watched the battle and then the consuming of the Angel.  
  
Kozo looked at the orb on Unit-01's chest.   
  
"All part of your plan?" he asked.  
  
"Yes!" Gendo answered enthusiastically, "This is just the beginning!!!"  
  
A/N: So...another Angel....those of you reading who are Eva fans (duh, of course! I'm posting this in the Eva section of !) you should know what's coming up next...yep, that's right. The most hated Angel in the entire series, Arael...stay tuned. 


	19. Tormented Souls

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: First of all, I would like to apologize to all my readers. Since the last update, I have had a final, my friend went overseas, two computer crashes, and a short spell of writer's block. I would also like to ask you not to judge too harshly on this chapter as I've just returned and still am trying to get the rust out. Of course I will still do my best but the quality might be a bit lower than the other chapters. Now enough of my babbling, enjoy the next chapter to the Evangelion: Meant For One Another fic. Chapter 19: Tormented Souls  
  
(A/N: The pictures for this story can be found at my hompage, which you can acess from my author profile page.)  
  
Disclaimer: No need.  
  
Asuka sat on the floor with her legs tucked up to her chest as she watched the Nerv workers do their best to gather up the pieces of her Eva and tow it back to HQ. She scowled as they loaded the severed head on to a elevator and sent it back to the Eva hanger.  
  
"Pilot Sorhyu."   
  
Asuka looked behind her.  
  
"What do you want Wondergirl!?" she spat. "I'm not in the mood!"  
  
Rei turned around to walk back the way she came.   
  
"I see, then I suppose then that you do not wish to be informed of Ikari-kun's current condition."  
  
Before Rei took another step she was grabbed and roughly turned around by a red blur.  
  
"Shinji!?" She yelled as she shook the First Child like a rag doll. "What the hell is wrong with my Shinji!?"  
  
Rei was getting really dizzy and can't open her mouth to respond for fear of losing the salad she had for lunch, so she did the only possible thing, she slapped Asuka across the face.  
  
Asuka reeled back and Rei fell on her butt.  
  
"That...was...not..required..." Rei said, still dizzy.  
  
Asuka shook off the blow and didn't try to kill Rei like she would have like to, she needed to know about Shinji. She got down next to Rei and asked her again, without the shaking.  
  
"Ikari-kun...ow....Ikari-kun resumed the position as pilot of Unit-01 and engaged in combat with and then defeated the 14th Angel." Rei said.  
  
"Yeah yeah! That part I know, where is he now!?" Asuka demanded putting her hands on Rei's shoulder.  
  
Rei looked a little down wards and she spoke softly. "The fight ended when Unit-01 reached a sync ratio of 400% with Ikari-kun, it consumed the Angel and also its own pilot..."  
  
Asuka didn't move.  
  
"Pilot Sorhyu..?" Rei asked.  
  
Asuka looked at Rei directly.  
  
"Shinji...inside...Eva....dead?" she whispered.  
  
"All except the last, but it looks like it won't be for long. Dr. Akagi and her team are trying everything to restore his physical self but she does not have much hope." Rei said.  
  
Asuka turned angry.   
  
"How can that bitch give up before she's even started and tried to do it!?"  
  
"Actually, this is not the first incident, it has happened before and they were unsuccessful in the recovery process." Rei pointed out.  
  
Asuka blinked.   
  
"They let us pilot the damn thing when it has swallowed people before!?" she yelled "Is Nerv run by idiot bastards!?"  
  
"No." Rei said. "It is run by Commander Ikari."  
  
Asuka gave Rei a look that said, 'Exactly as I said, idiot bastards.'  
  
"So who was the first person this happened to?" Asuka asked as she pulled Rei up off the floor and the two ran for Nerv.  
  
"Commander Ikari's wife, Ikari-kun's mother..."  
  
Back at Central Command, the staff has shifted operations into the emergency back up Command Center 02. Just as they were settling in, Dr. Akagi and Major Katsurigi came into the room.   
  
"So what are you saying? That Shinji's physical form just vanished into thin air!?" Misato demanded.  
  
"In a way." A tired Ritsuko answered. "Shinji didn't vanish, but was absorbed into the creature that is Evangelion Unit-01."  
  
"What do you mean? What is Eva?!" Misato yelled, causing some turned heads.   
  
"The thing created by humans with a human like figure." Ritsuko said. "I can't say it in other way."   
  
"Created by humans? You only make a copy of what you pick up on Antarctica! Original? I'm don't think so." Misato retorted.  
  
"It isn't just a copy. A human will is in it." Ritsuko said.  
  
"Do you mean that this was of someone's will?" Misato gasped.   
  
"Or Eva's..." Ritsuko muttered.   
  
Misato got angry again and grabbed her friend's collar.   
  
"Do something! You made the damn thing, didn't you? Take responsibility and clean up your mess! I want Shinji back!"  
  
Asuka and Rei came in the door at that point and Ritsuko could see she was surrounded.  
  
"I'll try of course." She said and looked at Maya, who patched the video link from the Eva's plug to the main monitor.   
  
"Uhhhhh!" the bridge gasped.   
  
Misato's voice shook. "What is it?"   
  
Ritsuko look at the view of an entry plug, empty except for a pair of Shinji's sync clips.   
  
"This is the true character of 400% synchronization." Ritsuko said and asked Maya to run to her lab and get a file.  
  
"Now we-" Ritsuko said turning around, when she did she stopped in mid sentence.  
  
Rei and Misato were holding on to Asuka, who was limp as a doll and would have seemed unconscious except for the fact that her eyes were staring at the screen in terror.  
  
"It's ok." Misato said soothingly, "Dr. Akagi will get him out, don't worry."  
  
"Yes, you need not worry." Rei said. "Dr. Akagi is very capable."  
  
Asuka's eyes remained lock on the screen, and soon traces of water could be seen starting to form at the edge.  
  
"Rei, why don't you take her to the girls locker room and both of you can get cleaned up." Misato said.  
  
"Yes Major Katsurigi." Rei answered and helped Asuka to her feet and then left.  
  
Misato looked at Ritsuko pleadingly.  
  
"Please, save him."  
  
Ritsuko sighed and nodded, then she got a cup of coffee.  
  
"Yui, you just like driving me up the wall..." she muttered to herself.  
  
Inside the beast...  
  
A/N:(Shinji's thoughts will be in [], Yui's in {})  
  
[Where am I?]  
  
{With me...}  
  
[Who are you?]  
  
{You know...}  
  
[That smell, I know it...]  
  
{Dive deep into your mind Shinji-kun...}  
  
[The smell...MOTHER!?]  
  
{My son...}  
  
[Mother...are we dead?]  
  
{Not quite...}  
  
[Am I alive?]  
  
{Yes...}  
  
[And you?]  
  
{In a sense, my soul is one with Eva...}  
  
[It is you...who I feel protecting me...]  
  
{Yes...Shinji, would you like to stay with me?}  
  
[With you?]  
  
{Here, inside Eva, it is safe. You can't be hurt here...}  
  
[That's true, but...]  
  
{...Is it her you think about?}  
  
[Huh?]  
  
{The Second Child, daughter of my colleague Kyoko.}  
  
[Asuka? Yes...I miss her...]  
  
{I see, then you would like to return?}  
  
[...Yes, but mother-]  
  
{Its alright, don't worry, I am always with you.}  
  
[I love you mom...]  
  
{I love you too Shinji, take care...}  
  
[Mother...]  
  
{Remember Shinji, Anywhere can be heaven, if you let it...}  
  
Rei dragged Asuka to to the girl's locker and sat her down on one of the benches, Asuka hadn't said a word since leaving the Command Center and her look was still one of shock and fear. Rei was troubled by the change in Asuka's attitude, she usually did not behave like this. Not knowing what to do, Rei left Asuka to herself and went to another row of lockers to change and shower. As Rei got her towel and made her way to the shower stalls, she heard sobs and traced the source to Asuka, who was still on the bench in her plug suit, her face buried in her hands. Rei sat next to her and looked at her cry, she wasn't sure what she could do or say. Asuka continued to sob.  
  
"You are worried Ikari-kun correct?" Rei said at last.  
  
Asuka's sobs paused.   
  
"What do you think!?" she snapped without raising her head.  
  
"How come?" Rei asked. "Do you not trust Dr. Akagi to be able to succeed in the extraction operation?"  
  
"It's not a sure thing, like you said." Asuka said, her voice unsteady, so unlike her usual tone. "She could fail."  
  
"Yes, that is a possibility." Rei said.  
  
Asuka lifted her head up and looked ahead of her in the mirror on the locker room wall.  
  
"He's all I have...he's the only one that cares...if I lose him, I have nothing..." Asuka whispered.  
  
"Why would you say that?" Rei asked. "You seem to be rather well accepted in school, and you are the Second Child."  
  
Asuka scoffed.   
  
"Except for Hikari the people at school are nothing but leaches, I know that the guys only want to get under my dress and the girls just want other guys to notice them too when they come to ask me out. And don't think I don't know what they say about me behind my back."  
  
"You are an elite pilot of one of only three Evangelions." Rei added.  
  
Asuka's mood returned to that before the conversation started.   
  
"I can't pilot...I haven't won a fight in ages...my sync ratio has...plumuted....I've even heard rumors about a replacement for me..."  
  
Asuka broke down into tears again.  
  
Rei now understood Asuka's dilemma, but was not sure what she could do. She decided to advise Asuka on what she would do.  
  
"I have always found a shower refreshing, why don't you go wash, you might feel better." Rei suggested.  
  
Asuka turned one eyed to Rei and stared for a minute, then she sighed and nodded.   
  
"Might as well..."  
  
BAck at Central Command...  
  
"Shinji-kun salvaging project?" Misato asked as she looked at the folder.   
  
"Yes." Ritsuko said without looking up from the Maya's computer. "What is to be called Shinji-kun's life still exists."   
  
"Is life respected this time?" Misato asked acidly.  
  
Ritsuko noticed the tone but didn't say anything about it. "Losing Shinji-kun is out of the question now."   
  
Misato snorted. "I don't know. What Nerv want isn't his life but Unit One as their tool."   
  
"I don't deny it." Ritsuko stated simply.   
  
Maya turned to look up at Dr. Akagi behind her.   
  
"Shinji-kun's body is supposed to be drifting in the entry plug in the quantum form because it lost its ego-border correct?"   
  
Misato got up off the desk she was sitting on and came up behind her as well to look at the screen. "You mean that Shinji has transformed into something which we can't identify visibly?"   
  
Maya nodded. "Definitely. The LCL ingredients in the plug has changed chemically are now very like the seawater of the primitive earth."   
  
Misato: The primordial soup...   
  
Ritsuko straightened up. "All of the materials which formed Shinji-kun are kept in the plug. What should be called his soul exits there. In fact, his ego image gives pseudo substance to his plug suit."   
  
"Salvaging means making his body reconstructed and his soul fixed in it." Maya added.   
  
Misato raised an eyebrow. "Is that even possible?"   
  
Ritsuko took off her glasses and looked up at the side monitor. "With MAGI's support."   
  
Misato narrow her eyes. "You've only got the theory, don't you? Nobody knows what will happen when we try it."  
  
"That's true." Ritsuko said.   
  
Misato laughed. "But it doesn't matter, Nerv was always fond of using things even if they don't have a clue as to what it is."  
  
"We-" Ritsuko was about to argue went the sensors attached to Unit-01 started to go off.  
  
"What the hell's happening!?" Misato demanded. "What's happening to Shinji!?"  
  
"It's...I belive...impossible..." Ritsuko mumbled as she watched the readings.  
  
She turned to Maya. "Did you do this?" she asked.  
  
"I didn't touch anything sampai!" she said, praying to god that she didn't do something accidentally.  
  
"Is Shinji..." Misato began, her voice shaking.  
  
Ritsuko pushed a button on the control panel and the sensors retracted from the entrance to the plug and it slowly started to eject.  
  
"What in blazes are you doing!?" Misato shrieked.  
  
Ritsuko didn't answer, when 3/4 of the plug came out it stopped and the hatched opened, spilling the LCL and sync clips onto the deck.  
  
"Nooo!!!" Misato yelled and ran out to the hanger, she got to Unit-01 and saw the clips on the catwalk, she kneel down next to them and sobbed.  
  
"What have you done Ritsuko!?" she yelled.  
  
Akagi came up behind her.  
  
"But the readings...it clearly showed the presence of his ego-border..." Ritsuko stuttered.   
  
Misato was a split second away from throwing the doctor over the catwalk when a squishing sound was heard, the women looked around for the source, they heard a 'pop' and the next thing they knew there was a naked boy lying on the catwalk drenched in LCL.  
  
"Shinji!" the two gasped and Misato ran over and cradled the boy in her arms.  
  
"It's alright, you'll gonna be fine now..." Misato said as she held his head against her chest, crying tears of joy.  
  
Ritsuko pulled out her cell phone and speed dialed #6.  
  
(Yes?)  
  
The Third has been recovered.  
  
(Any damages to the Eva?)  
  
No. Both pilot and Eva are fine.  
  
(Excellent, I want a full report later.)  
  
Understood.  
  
(Click)  
  
Ritsuko put her phone away and watched as Misato put her red Nerv jacket around Shinji.  
  
"Let's get him to the hospital wing." Ritsuko said.  
  
"I think you should call Asuka here first, he's stable enough and if she found out I didn't call her the minute we got him...well, you'll be needing a new Major." Misato said.  
  
A sweat drop appeared on Ritsuko's head.  
  
"Err...Misato, have you noticed how Shinji is clad?" Ritsuko asked.  
  
"Yeah?" Misato asked blankly.  
  
"Emm, you know what Asuka's gonna do when she sees him right?"  
  
"Hug and kiss him to death?" Misato guessed.  
  
"Extreme contact there Major, remember your other job." Ritsuko warned.  
  
"OH!" Misato exclaimed. "Damn you think dirty Ritsuko."  
  
Ritsuko raised and eyebrow. "Look who's talking..."  
  
Asuka stepped out of the stall with a red towel wrapped around her hair and a purple towel from Shinji around her waist. She sat down on the bench in front of her locker and looked down at the little Chibi Eva-01 on it. She smiled and opened her locker to change into the blouse and skirt she had stocked there. As she was putting her socks and sneakers on Rei came out with her towel over her shoulders, exposing everything that shouldn't be. Asuka looked at her, she seemed to be unaware of what she was doing so Asuka thought she might as well help her out.  
  
"Rei?" Asuka said sighing.  
  
"Pilot So-" Rei began.  
  
"Asuka." Asuka said.  
  
"Asuka," Rei began again. "Are you better now?"  
  
"I feel better thanks but have you forgotten what I've told you?" Asuka asked.  
  
Rei looked down. "Oh yes, I remember now."  
  
With that she disappeared into another row of lockers and returned in her uniform minutes later. Asuka sighed again.  
  
"Rei, is that all you ever wear?" Asuka asked.  
  
"...What should I wear?" Rei asked.  
  
"Well let-" Asuka started but her phone rang.  
  
"Oh, who's calling me now!?" she cursed.  
  
"Hello!?" she yelled into the phone, as Rei watched her face turned into an expression of surprise, and then joy.  
  
"REALLY!? Oh that's great! Yes, I'm coming." she said and hung up.  
  
"Come on wonder- I mean, Rei!" she said and ran for the door, grabbing Rei's arm while she was at it.  
  
"Where are we going Asuka?" Rei asked.  
  
"To see Shinji!" Asuka said happily.  
  
"..mmm...huh?" Shinji mumbled as his eyes started to open.  
  
"Shinji!" a voice said. "Shinji!"  
  
"Mom..?" he asked, confused as his vision slowly cleared up.  
  
"You've lost it, it's me! Misato!"   
  
Shinji's vision cleared and he stared up at his purple haired guardian's face.  
  
"Oh hiya Misato." he said.  
  
"Shinji!" she yelled happily and hugged him from the chair to the left side of the bed he was in. While she held him he looked around, it was the hospital room he's been in so many times now.  
  
'I'm getting real tired of this place...' he thought.  
  
He noticed Misato still holding him.   
  
"Err, Misato, Asuka's gonna be jealous..." he joked.  
  
"She's not gonna-" Misato began.  
  
The door slammed open.  
  
"GET OFF! HE"S MINE!!" a voice roared and Shinji closed his eyes and felt Misato being pulled off of him. Then another pair of arms warped around him.  
  
"SHINJI!! Oh Shinji, I thought you were..." Asuka sobbed.  
  
"Err...I'm alright now." Shinji gasped as Asuka squeezed him, Rei was helping Misato bandage her arm from when Asuka pulled her off Shinji and she fell against the wall.  
  
Asuka then let go of Shinji pulled him up in bed by his ear.  
  
"Owww!" Shinji yelled.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking!?" Asuka yelled at him. "Making me worry...I don't care if is to save the world...no don't tell me you were doing what you though was best, go and get yourself...." it went on and on, with Shinji whimpering and Asuka yelling and Misato grumbling about being attacked for no reason. Rei looked over the scene.  
  
'At least Asuka is normal again...' she thought.  
  
Then Asuka let go of Shinji's ear and looked at Rei.  
  
"Well?" Asuka asked.  
  
"Huh?" Rei said, lost.  
  
"Don't you want to show Shinji you missed him?" Asuka said.  
  
"Oh, of course." Rei said.  
  
Asuka leaned down to Shinji's head. "If I find out that for one second you enjoy it or is thinking about her boobs, I will kill you Third."  
  
Shinji started to sweat, "Yes ma'am."  
  
Asuka walked over to Misato and leaned against the wall, Rei took her place in the chair and looked down at Shinji.  
  
"...I am..glad that you are well Ikari-kun." she said, a tint of red on her cheeks.  
  
"Thanks Rei." Shinji said and smiled.  
  
Rei glanced at Asuka, who nodded, Rei turned back to Shinji and gave him a small hug, then she said goodbye and left with Misato. Asuka took up the chair again and looked sternly at Shinji.  
  
"A..Asuka! I swear! I was thinking about you the whole time!" he panicked.  
  
"Oh?" Asuka said. "Is that so..."  
  
She took his head in her hands and leaned down so close her nose brushed against his, "Good boy." she said and kissed him.  
  
A/N: Enjoy it while it lasts people, the next chapter has a surprise that will shock, stun, and disgust some people. (No, I'm not gonna announce that Gendo is gay.) It is gonna be great, check every now and then for it, until them my friends, peace out! 


	20. The Final Straw

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: OK! Chapter 20! Sorry about the late update, but contrary to my post in the reviews section, I managed to update before the two weeks I had predicted. At last, I have finally gotten to Hikari's reaction to the death of Toji, took a while and got some people asking about it but hey, gotta progress slowly you know? I am fully confident that I won't disappoint your expectations of this story, now enjoy ! Btw, to brighten things up, I've decided to add another St Pika cameo! (Poor guy just doesn't get a break does he?)  
  
Disclaimer: Eh...I don't know...TT  
  
Shinji woke up in his hospital bed, feeling rather hot and stuffy, it was then that he noticed the redheaded girl sprawled across his chest, her flaming red hair tickling his chin. He smiled and tried to slowly move her so he could get up with out waking her. But after a bit she did wake and looked around in the confused state most people are in the minute they wake up.   
  
"Uh....who what where.....?" she mumbled.  
  
Shinji chuckled. "Your boyfriend, you fell asleep, his hospital room." he answered.  
  
Asuka thought for a minute before understanding. "Oh yeah....very funny Shinji."  
  
She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck, "So, feeling better?"  
  
Shinji flexed his right arm. "Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
Asuka smiled and caught Shinji just staring at her.  
  
"What..?" she asked. "Oh, I'm a mess aren't I!?" she wailed quickly running her hands through her hair.  
  
Shinji grinned, "Course not, I was actually thinking about how great you look for someone who's slept in such an uncomfortable position."  
  
Asuka ginned as seductively as she could, which is on a whole new level from the usual. "Who said I was uncomfortable?"  
  
Shinji laughed and leaped out of the bed and leaned down to kiss her from behind her shoulder. "Then maybe we should do it again tonight..." he said and headed toward the bathroom attached to the room.  
  
Asuka giggled a bit and then a thought hit her, Shinji seemed diffrent...a bit more bold, he seemed to have lost some of that old shyness of his. As she pondered this, he returned and she pushed the idea out of her mind, he had just escaped from being trapped in a giant bio-machine, you had to expect a little change in the person. Shinji put on the clothes Misato had left for him last night as Asuka took her turn to wash her face in the bathroom. Shinji zipped up the duffel bag that had held his clothes and sat on the bed to wait for Asuka so they could get him checked out of there. He took that few minutes to think about being inside that Eva, with his mother, he knew now. The power of the Eva was the soul of his mother, and she would be there for him, always protecting him.  
  
"Why didn't you ever say anything father?" he whispered.  
  
Asuka came out and he stood up, "Let's get outta here huh?" he said holding out his hand.  
  
She took it and nodded.  
  
"Misato! We're back!" Asuka yelled as they came inside the apartment. She got no answer.  
  
"Huh, must be at work." Shinji said and went to dump his bag in the laundry room. Asuka went inside her room to change out of the clothes she had been in since leaving her locker at Nerv last night. She slipped into something more comfortable and went back out only to bump into Shinji as he was about to knock on her door.  
  
"Oh!" she said, startled. "What did you want?"  
  
"Was gonna ask you want you want to order for lunch, don't really feel up to cooking." Shinji said.  
  
"Oh, whatever you want..." she said and patted him gently on the cheek as she went pass him. "Join me in the living room when you're done."   
  
Shinji nodded and went to the kitchen and spotted a flier for a new take out dinner place.   
  
He glanced it over and decided to order the American dinner combo and called the number.  
  
Meanwhile, Asuka settled into her soft bean bag chair and started to channel surf, she heard Shinji making the phone call to order food and flipped a few more channels before getting up to just get a movie as there wasn't anything good on. She opened the cabinet and dug through the many movies they had accumulated over the months and spotted something promising. James "Bond 007: Die Another Day"   
  
"Bingo." she said and put the disk in the DVD player, then she got up over to the kitchen to see if Shinji was done with the ordering. He was, and he was getting some pop out of the fridge for them.   
  
Asuka came up behind him and hugged him, "Come on, I'm starting a movie."  
  
"Alright," he said. "Orange soda? Or coke?"  
  
Asuka responded coke so Shinji got the drinks and went with Asuka to the living room and watched the movie.  
  
Around the time when James was blowing up a hospital in Cuba, the doorbell rang and Shinji left Asuka to go answer it.  
  
Opening the door he saw a blond man with a cart of food in take-out boxes. As Shinji handed him the money and the man unload their food, Shinji asked.  
  
"Have we met before?"  
  
The man looked at him, "Now that you mention it...I think you do look fimilar...."  
  
Shinji then snapped his fingers. "You're the McDonald's guy! I remember you giving me a free Sundae!"  
  
Jason smiled. "Oh yeah...so how are you and her doing?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, we're watching a movie right now." he replied.  
  
"Oh? How nice, good luck kid!" the man said.  
  
"Thanks." Shinji replied.  
  
Just as he was about to leave, a mob of black suits appeared down the hall, their leader, an Asian man with slick hair and a pair of black sunglasses ran toward Shinji and the food delivery man.   
  
"Mr. Emery, we meet again." he said.  
  
"Oh crap!" Jason said and looked around for a way out.  
  
"Did you think you could escape the mainframe?" the black suit said. "We have been watching you Mr. Emery, we know you have been leading two lifes....in one, you are a respected writer on cyberspace and renowned all around...in the other, you pass as a collage geography major who has a taste for brunettes and food-related jobs. One of these, has a future, the other, does not."  
  
"Screw you man!" Jason yelled. "I need a break damn it, all of writing that WAFF has nearly sapped my mind!"  
  
"You have not updated in a while, Mr. Emery..." the leader said. "I'm afraid you will have to come with us..."  
  
"NEVER!!" Jason yelled in defiance and jumped on the food cart and sped to wards the other end of the hall.  
  
The black suit leader growled. "There is no escape...from Agent 'Sith'...." all of the look alikes took out duel red light-sabers and chased after the screaming man riding on the food cart.   
  
Shinji stood in the doorway of his apartment with a boxes of food stacked in front of him, he looked down the hall at the disappearing mob and then to the can of soda in his hand. He quickly chucked the can of Sunkist over the side of the building. And swore off orange soda.  
  
"I like UCC coffee better anyway..." he mumbled as he brought the boxes inside.  
  
They sped the afternoon just laying around and chatting after lunch and the movie. Then Asuka challenged Shinji to several games of poker, which he lost spectacularly and resulted in him owning Asuka a lot of "favors". Asuka decide to exercise her first one by having Shinji give her a back rub and teasing him every second of it, causing even his new attitude to slacken a bit and his cheeks to light up to a crimson that at one point outdid her hair. As the time rolled by, Misato finally dragged herself home at around 6PM, cursing Gendo Ikari, (Who she was fond of calling the motherfucking son of a bitch) and ranting on about how all of Nerv's paper work was centered on her and how Ritsuko left several stacks of forms about getting a few extra zeros in her budget so she could further develop the existing Eva weapons. After half an hour of this the two teens escape to Asuka's room on the pretense of packing for school tomorrow.  
  
"Fast thinking Asuka-chan." Shinji said as they slammed the door behind them.  
  
Asuka gave her famous cocky smile and pushed him playfully on the bed, climbed on top of him and brought her face close. "Remember Third, your girlfriend is a collage graduate, brains, beauty, and the best pilot you can find. You should know how to count your blessings."  
  
Shinji laughed and shook his head. "You won't get no arguments from me Asuka-chan."  
  
Asuka kissed him. "Well, maybe we'd better get packed for real, oh Hikari is gonna-"  
  
They both stopped, and it was then that they remembered about Toji. They felt ashamed that they had forgotten him with all that has happened, and Asuka got of Shinji and sat next to him.  
  
Asuka looked down at her lap. "Shinji....how are we suppose to break this to them....?"  
  
Shinji looked up at the ceiling, he didn't respond for a minute, then he said, "I really don't know Asuka, how do you tell your best friend's girlfriend and your other best friend that he's not coming back?"  
  
He looked down and sighed, "And how do you tell them that you're the one who caused it..."  
  
Asuka grabbed his hand.   
  
"Please Shinji," she said. "We've been over this, it's not your fault!"  
  
Shinji sighed again. "I know...look, I'm tired. Let's just get some sleep."  
  
Before Asuka could say anything else he left her room and went into his. Asuka sat for a moment, then she went out too.  
  
As Shinji crawled under the covers, he tried not to think too much about tomorrow and what to tell Kensuke and Hikari. As he lay in his bed turning it over and over, he felt something at the end of his bed. He lifted his head up and saw Asuka joining him. As she came out of the covers next to him he opened his mouth but Asuka said simply.  
  
"Better if I stayed with you."  
  
Shinji did not protest, but neither did he say anything. Asuka put her arm over him and said.  
  
"Don't think too much about tomorrow, just get some sleep now. It'll come when it comes."  
  
Asuka woke up at around 6:30 am the next morning, she had felt Shinji rolling around last night, a sign of stress that only she knew Shinji displayed. She now looked at her boyfriend, even asleep he looked troubled, his eyebrows were furrowed and his face looked a bit dark. Asuka didn't think it necessary to wake him just yet, so she slipped out of his bed and then his room. She returned to her room to grab her school clothes and went into the bathroom to shower. She came out twenty minutes later, and headed to wards the kitchen. On the way she passed the living room and the drunken forms of the Major and her loyal Penguin, shaking her head, she made her way to the kitchen and set about the task of making sandwiches.  
  
Half an hour later.  
  
"Shinji..."  
  
"Errr..." he mumbled.  
  
"Shinji, wake up."  
  
"Huh...what?" he said as he opened his eyes, and saw Asuka face above him.  
  
"Now that's surely the way to wake up..." he mumbled sleepily.  
  
Asuka groaned and started to shake him, "I mean it, we really don't want to be late after being out for so long."  
  
Shinji finally sat up and rubbed his eyes, "Huh? Yeah...right..ok.."  
  
Asuka dragged him out of bed and into the bathroom, then she turned on the shower but using cold water only, then she pushed Shinji, still dressed in shirt and shorts, into the shower. The shout which resulted was loud enough to wake the dead, and nearly enough to wake the drunk Katsurigi and Pen-Pen but not just quite.  
  
Fifteen minutes later.  
  
"That.." Shinji panted as they ran to school. "Wasn't...fun!"  
  
Asuka smirked. "For me it was, and that's what you get for not waking up when I tell you to! What's wrong with you? Didn't sleep well? You usually get up naturally..."  
  
"Yeah...feel more tired than when I fell asleep if anything..." Shinji groaned.  
  
They reached the gates and just entered the main building when the bell rang.  
  
"Damn." Shinji said and they dashed to the room A-2.  
  
"Stand, bow, s-" Hikari was stopped when the door slammed open and the two pilots fell inside, having collided at the door, the whole class stared at them.   
  
"Err...morning sensei..." Asuka smiled weakly as she and Shinji struggled to get off each other.  
  
"Hmmm, please go to your seats, we're just about to start." the sensei said.  
  
Embarrassed by their entrance, the two made their way to their seats and sat down. As the sensei began he lecture, Asuka caught Hikari looking at her, undoubtedly she wanted to run to Asuka and find out what she knew about Toji's whereabouts.  
  
"Damn..." Asuka muttered under her breath. "Of all the people...she had to choose the jock...and now he's dead..."  
  
At lunch, as Asuka had expected, Hikari ran up to her.  
  
"Asuka! Do you know anything about Toji!?" she asked franticly. "Cuss he doesn't return my calls...and his family won't tell me anything!"  
  
Asuka looked at her friend sadly, "Hikari....lets go out and have a seat first...."  
  
Asuka and Hikari arrived at their usual table and sat down, Asuka took a deep breath.  
  
"Hikari, Toji..he had been hired by NERV." Asuka began.  
  
"I didn't know that..." Hikari gasped. "Why wouldn't he tell me? And what do they have him doing?"  
  
"They had wanted him as a pilot."  
  
"A pilot?" Hikari repeated, then she realized. "For Evangelion?"  
  
"Yes," Asuka continued softly. "Unit-03 had arrived."  
  
"Unit-3..." Hikari trailed off. "But wasn't that the Unit that you guys destroyed a few days ago!?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But...but Toji wasn't inside right!?" Hikari asked, almost pleadingly. "He wasn't inside was he!?"  
  
"Yes...he was.." Asuka whispered.  
  
What colored was left in Hikari's face vanished. "But....he was hospitalized right!? Is that why I can't reach him? Oh Asuka! Can you take me to go visit him after school?"  
  
Asuka looked at her friend, who was plainly in denial.   
  
"Hikari...he's not in the hospital..."  
  
"So then he's resting at home? Oh I-" Hikari began but Asuka put her hand on her friend's shoulder.  
  
"Hiakri...listen to me-" she started but Hikari kept babbling on, determined not to let Asuka say it, as if that would make it not true.  
  
Finally, Asuka lay her other hand on Hikari's other shoulder and gave her a gentle shake, "Hikari, you can go see him...but he can't see you, and he can't ever again....he's not coming back..."  
  
Hikari forced a laugh. "W..why Asuka! What a thing to say! Really, he's not-"  
  
"Toji was killed!" Asuka said firmly. "I'm sorry Hikari..."  
  
Hikari did not change her expression from before, still mouth open in mid sentence. Asuka looked concerned.  
  
"Hikari...?"  
  
Asuka shook her again. It was then that she noticed that Hikari's eyes were glitering...and slowly, they formed into a pool and drops of water began to leak out down her cheek.  
  
"Hikari..." Asuka said.  
  
Finally Hikari moved, she looked down at her lap, and drops after drops of tears began to stain her skirt. Asuka put a hand over her shoulder and held her friend close.   
  
"I'm really sorry Hikari..."  
  
Hikari shook her head angrily. "Why....did ...you....not...get..h..h..him out!?" she yelled through her sobs.  
  
"It happened....so fast..." Asuka said.  
  
Hikari broke out of Asuka's hug and fled the scene, leaving Asuka guilt ridden and close to tears herself for her best friend.  
  
Shinji came over then and sat down next to Asuka, he looked as exhausted as Asuka.  
  
"Where were you?" she asked.  
  
"Kensuke." Shinji respond sadly.  
  
"You told him?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"How'd he take it?"  
  
Shinji turned his face around and Asuka saw a small purple bruise on his right cheek.  
  
"Not good huh?" she asked.  
  
"Nope..."  
  
For the rest of the school day, Kensuke was seen absorbed into his computer, even more than usual and would not interact with anybody, and Hikari had disappeared, claiming a bad case of headache. As the day progressed, the students sat bored in their seats, tuning out the sensei and the same old stories about Second Imapact...that was, until the Angel alarm rang. The class looked at Asuka, Rei and Shinji but they were up and running out of the classroom before their cell phones even started ringing.   
  
"Fucking bastards don't take a vacation." Asuka growled.  
  
"Nor would they give us one..." Shinji added.  
  
"Let's hurry." Rei stated.  
  
The three sped for Nerv and arrived as the Command Center was going through launch prep sequence. They went into their lockers and came out in a few minutes dressed for battle, they were helped into their respective plugs by technicians and quickly inserted into the Evas. Units 00 and 02 were launched, but Gendo would not allow the launch of Unit-01 due to its behavior during the last battle.  
  
"What's the scoop on this one?" Asuka asked Misato through the comp.  
  
"Right," she answered as she appeared on Asuka's monitor. "The Fifteenth Angel has appeared in a stable orbit in the outer atmosphere, it is impossible for Evas to battle there so you must try to destroy it as best you can with long range weapons."  
  
"Space?" Rei asked. She had been included in Misato's transmission.  
  
"Yes, so you should use the same positron sniper rifle that we used in the Fifth's attack."  
  
"Understood." she said, the two Evas had arrived at the top sometime ago and has now reached weapons storage building 5-B.  
  
Rei listened to Misato's advise and took out the rifle, Asuka went with her favorite, long range rocket launcher. They took up positions behind buildings and launched their attack. The sky lit up as the Angel was brutally barraged. But it did not seem to affect it, most of their blast did not even reach where the Angel was, those that did, served only to agitate it. In retaliation, the Angel fired what at first seemed to be an energy beam, it made contact with Asuka's Eva before she could roll out of the way.   
  
"Asuka move!" Shinji yelled to her, as he could see the battle from his left monitor.  
  
But all he got in response were screams.  
  
Back at Central Command, Misato and the bridge had been monitoring the fight.  
  
"Aoba!" she yelled. "What the hell is that!?"  
  
"All scans negative, no thermal energy reaction detected, it can't detect anything but light!" he yelled back.  
  
"Asuka is showing abnormal patterns in her psychograph! Mental contamination will start soon!"  
  
"It's trying to make level one contact with a human!?" Ritsuko gasped.  
  
Back at the battle field...  
  
Rei fired with her rifle but even at the highest output it could not pierce the Angel's AT-Field.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Asuka screamed.   
  
"Asuka, whats wrong!?" Shinji yelled.  
  
"NOOOO!! DON'T SHOW ME THIS!!! ANYTHING BUT- MAMA!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"ASUKA!" Shinji yelled as he struggled to get his Eva moving.   
  
"LET ME GO FATHER!!"  
  
"No." Kozo responded sharply. "This target is one which invades the mind of the pilot."  
  
"We must avoid a situation where Unit-1 is invaded now." Gendo agreed.  
  
"So, you mean it's OK as long as I'm not defeated?" Shinji demanded.  
  
"That cannot be guaranteed." Gendo said coldly.  
  
"If this goes on Asuka will-" Shinji began but was interrupted as Asuka cried out again.  
  
Gendo, who had been watching the whole time stood up.   
  
"Rei, get the lance."  
  
The room looked at him.  
  
Kozo looked at him. "The Lance of Longinus!? Ikari, That is-"  
  
"Sir..." Ritsuko mouthed.  
  
"Sir, if Eva and Adam make contact it could trigger Third Impact!" Misato asked. "It's too risky!"  
  
"We have no other way to destroy a target in orbit, who's AT-Field we cannot reach from here. Hurry !" he said.  
  
"Yes Commander." Ritsuko said.  
  
"So that's a lie too?" Misato whispered under her breath.  
  
"Ikari, I think it is too early to use that." Kozo argued.  
  
"The committee has started the mass production of the Eva series. This is our chance, Fuyutsuki." Gendo said.  
  
"But, I cannot..." Kozo trailed off.  
  
"We cannot make the clock move backwards. But, we can make it move forward with our own hands." Gendo said looking at the old professor.  
  
"The Old Men will not allow it." Kozo insisted.  
  
"We must put an end to everything before SEELE takes action. It's not a good idea to lose Unit-2 right now." Gendo replied.  
  
"But if we use the Lance of Longinus without the permission of SEELE, there will be problems." Kozo warned.  
  
"If a reason exists, that is enough. I don't see anything else to consider." Gendo said firmly.  
  
"Reason ? What you really want is an excuse." Kozo sneered.  
  
Rei and Eva-00 was quickly lowered through access hatch-43 to retrieve the famed lance. As she reached Lilith, Rei took hold of the shaft and yanked the embedded lance out of the Second Angel's torso. As she did, the lower part of the Angel, which had been wounded, healed into a pair of new legs. Rei made her way back up to ground level and saw Asuka still in the Angel's hold.   
  
"AHHHHH!!! PLEASE STOP!!! DON'T INVADE MY MIND!!!!!! DON'T LOOK THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Rei, we're sending Pegasus to help as he's the only unit ready, he should be able to get you within range." Maya said.  
  
"Hai." Rei answered and hopped onto the E.M.A.W.P. as soon as it arrived.   
  
Unused to this rider, Pegasus was a bit hard to handle but Rei managed to get him to carry her to the lower atmosphere, as Unit-00 prepared to throw, the Angel attacked her, taking its beam off of Unit-02 and directing it toward Rei.  
  
"Ahh!" Rei cried as the Angel now unleashed its horrifying attack upon her.  
  
Shinji had seen it all from his Eva, and now his rage was beginning to gather.  
  
"Rei and Asuka....Damn you father...Damn you.....if only...mother..." he stopped and looked around him.  
  
"Mom...." he whispered as he tried to recall how he had felt during that brief time he saw her. "If there's ever a time I need you...its now....please, help me save Asuka...."  
  
Thump.  
  
He opened his eyes...there it was again, the same sound as before...  
  
Thump.  
  
He grinned, "Thank you... "  
  
Eva-01 activated and opened its jaws, letting out a roar. It's orange eyes glanced at the restrains and moving its huge arms, torn loose easily, and smashed its way to the elevators.  
  
"SIR!!" Makoto yelled. "UNIT-01!!....IT'S....IT'S MOVING TO GROUND LEVEL VIA ELEVATOR 6!!"  
  
"What!?" Gendo, Misato, Ritsuko, and Kozo yelled in together.  
  
"Impossible, we had all possible lock and bolt attached to it!!" Ritsuko screamed.  
  
They look back to the monitor as Eva-01 now made its appearance, looking just as wild as it had the last time they had seen it in action. It sprinted toward Eva-02, now free of the Angel's beam, and carried it up and back to the elevator from which Unit-01 had come from. Eva-01 then looked up at Eva-00 and the Angel.  
  
When Rei was hit she was not thrown in the same memory scan as Asuka was, instead she experienced a headache like none she had felt before, even almost to the point where the pain was making her drop in and out of focus. She regained her senses long enough to pull on the reins and making Pegasus dive down toward the ground. As she was within half a mile above the ground she lost consciousness and Eva-00, now a limp doll slipped out of the saddle. Shinji saw as she approached and crouched his Eva down, at the right moment he jumped and snatched the blue Eva out of the air just before it would have crashed into the ground, the lance landed just next to them, piecing the ground. Eva-01 put Unit-00 with Unit-02 and went back to pull out the lance.  
  
"Shinji, how did you-" his com-link buzzed with Misato's voice. "Never mind, nows not the time, you're our only hope, you've got to destroy that target!"   
  
Shinji replied by turning to Pegasus, who had landed on a nearby hill and was staring at him. Eva-01 put up its free hand and did a 'come here' motion with its index finger. Pegasus jumped up and landed next to Unit-01, SHinji got on and shot up to a space near where Rei had been. The Angel fired its beam at the two but Eva-01 guided Pegasus through the air, evading all the Angel's attempts. Then Unit-01 turned in the saddle and flung the lance as hard as possible, sending the red bolt through the Angel and off into space.  
  
As the bridge breathed a sign of relief, Kozo asked Makoto.  
  
"Hows the lance?"  
  
Makoto tapped their satellites, "It seems to have been caught in the moon's gravity and is drawn into orbit, at this point recovery is impossible."  
  
"I see." Kozo said and returned to the command box.  
  
"It's gone." he said to Gendo.  
  
"Excellent." Gendo smiled.  
  
Pilots Sohryu and Ayanami were sent to the hospital, while Shinji was brought to the Commander's office in cuffs.  
  
"What you did today was a clear violation of my direct order." Gendo hissed.  
  
Shinji smirked. "We won."  
  
"But-" Gendo was about to speak but Shinji was faster.  
  
"The end justifies the means father, isn't that what you always say?"   
  
Gendo studied his son, 'What the hell had happened to him, the Shinji he had known for years would never talk to him like this, the boy was afraid of his own shadow, it mush be the Second Child...we'll have to take care of her....she was getting useless anyway...'  
  
Gendo looked Shinji in the eyes. "This will not happen again." he said and turned. The guards removed Shinji's cuffs and led him out of the office. Gendo went to his phone and called up the hospital, "Bring me the Second Child."  
  
In a few minutes Asuka entered the office, still in her plug suit.  
  
She didn't say anything, still too dazed and traumatized by the battle.  
  
"Pilot Sohryu," Gendo said. "It has come to my attention that you haven't had a victory to claim your own in a while."  
  
Asuka said nothing, only looked down. Gendo stared at her, after a while she mumbled a weak "Yes sir."   
  
Gendo nodded, "Then you will understand that we will have to take...certin steps to ensure smooth operation of the Evangelion Unit-02."  
  
Asuka stared "You..."  
  
Gendo was laughing inside. "I'm afraid you will be replaced as pilot for that Evangelion Unit."  
  
"NO!" Asuka screamed and rushed the Commander but two guards appeared from the shadows of his office and dragged the girl back.  
  
"Dear dear," Gendo said. "I guess that last attack had some lasting affects huh? Well, you had better be taken to our psychiatric unit hmmm?"  
  
"You! Don't touch-" Asuka struggled against her captors.  
  
"Get her out of my sight." Gendo said..  
  
"SHINJI!!" she cried.  
  
"We'll see how much of an attitude he has now." Gendo said to himself.  
  
"SHINJI!!!"  
  
A/N: Ah...Gendo, you bastard, how we want to kill you now....I hope you like this chapter, please review! I'll update soon now that Summer School's over.   
  
Later. 


	21. The Great Escape, Unshaven's Last Stand

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: At last, Chapter 21! Sorry! A trip to NY, writer's block and the new School year are to blame for the late update. Who thinks things are getting interesting huh? And who thinks we should form an angry mob and lynch Gendo!? (If not everyone who read the last chapter agreed, I'm not an otaku...)  
  
Disclaimer: God damn it! I do not and never will own EVA!!....Sadly.....  
  
After being released from his father's office, Shinji was escorted to the lockers. The Section 2 men left and Shinji showered and changed back into his school clothes. After that he went out looking for Asuka. As he went past the fifth hallway he felt uneasy, as if he wasn't alone and looked behind him, it was Rei.  
  
"Oh Rei, what are you doing?" he asked, seeing that she was heavily bandaged. "You should still be in the hospital!"  
  
"Shinji..." she whispered, leaning on the wall for support.  
  
"Rei, what is it?" Shinji asked coming up to her and holding on to her.  
  
"It's...Pilo-I mean, Asuka..." she gasped.  
  
"What? Did something happen to Asuka!?" he asked urgently.  
  
"The commander...." Rei said before groaning and then slumped into Shinji's arms.  
  
"Rei!" he gasped.  
  
He got up with Rei still in his arms and carried her back to the hospital where doctors took her from him and rushed her into the emergency room.  
  
As he stood outside the curtain that surrounded the operating area, he thought about what Rei was trying to tell him.  
  
'Father...what could he want with Asuka?'  
  
He decided that whatever it was, it wasn't gonna be in her best interest. He took one last look at the silouates moving behind the curtain and bolted out the door.  
  
He ran through Nerv back to the office of his father, the guards there stopped him.  
  
"The Commander has nothing else to say to you." one of them said.  
  
"Let me through!" he yelled and kicked one of them, that's when they started to use force. Shinji was eventually thrown kicking and punching from the entrance to the office and landed painfully on the hard floor.  
  
As he got up with the idea of trying to assault the door again and hand rested on his left shoulder. He turned and stared into his guardian's face.  
  
"Misato!" he gasped. "Look, the Commander has As-" he stopped and saw Misato looking sadly at him.  
  
"I'm sorry Shinji.....I tried to argue....but he, you know..." she said, her sentences breaking. with me."  
  
He said nothing and followed her, fearing what could've happened that made Misato so scared. She led them through the hallways to the lowest sections of Nerv. As they pasted a couple of locked iron doors he noticed the sign on the doors, "Cell Blocks A-F".  
  
"Misato, why are we in the prison holds?" he asked.  
  
"Just hold on a sec Shinji..." she whispered.  
  
They reached the end of the cells and entered a white hallway, at the end of it Misato stopped and opened a wooden door labeled. "Psych Ward-B7".  
  
"What are we-" Shinji was about to ask when Misato started shaking, Shinji moved closer to her and saw tears coming down her face. She said nothing but motioned Shinji into the room, he went in and she closed the door.  
  
He looked around and saw chairs in the small room and a window the size of the school's chalkboards in the wall farthest from the door. He got closer and peered through it. He nearly jumped back.  
  
"ASUKA!!"  
  
She was on the other side of the window, in a room lined with padded wallpaper. She was huddled in a corner, wearing nothing except a straight-jacket, her red hair a mess around her head and a blank look in her eyes.  
  
"ASUKA!!" he pounded on the window but she didn't respond. Shinji turned and grabbed Misato by her jacket.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" he yelled.  
  
She sobbed. "The Commander...I told you...I tried, but he.....ordered her....they shot three tranquilizers into her to stop her resisting."  
  
Shinji could feel his heart being crushed beneath Unit-01's foot.  
  
He turned back to the window.  
  
"Asuka...." he sobbed.  
  
The door opened, causing Misato and him to turn.  
  
Kaji came into the room, for the first time in his life Shinji saw no grin on his face, in its place was a look of grim anger. He walked over to the window and stared for a while before he turned to Shinji and patted him on the shoulders. Then he went over to Misato and whispered something into her ear, she stopped crying and shot straight up.  
  
"YOU WANT TO-" she began yelling but he covered her mouth.  
  
"Yes, and unless you want the whole base to know be quiet about it." he whispered.  
  
She stopped and looked at Shinji, to Asuka through the window and back to Kaji.  
  
"What can I do?" she asked?  
  
"Go back to the apartment and keep the beer on ice." he said.  
  
"Kaji! Nows not the ti-!" she yelled but he shushed her.  
  
"Sorry hon, but its too dangerous, and you know what will happen if he catches you! Look at Asuka!" he said.  
  
"No! I don't care, she and Shinji are like my children and I am not going to sit around and-"  
  
Kaji covered her mouth with his, as he broke the kiss he said, "Sorry about this...I love you."  
  
Misato gasped and then slumped onto him, he then sat her back down on to the chair.  
  
Shinji kept quiet during all this and now he noticed Kaji putting an injector into his pocket as he turned to him.  
  
"Shinji-kun, we're gonna get Asuka out of there."  
  
"What did you just say!?" Shinji gasped.  
  
"You. Me. Bust Asuka out." Kaji said. "Or do you want her to stay like that in Ikari's cell?"  
  
Shinji shook his head. "This is Nerv! How are we gonna get a drugged up girl out of a cell and out of the base without the whole of my father's body guards and Section-2 and maybe even the JSSDF piling on our ass!?"  
  
Kaji smiled and shook his head, "You forget who you're talking to...but the point is, do you want to save her?"  
  
Shinji nodded, "Of course!"  
  
"Good, then change into this." Kaji said throwing something at him from a backpack he had on him. Shinji looked at the thing Kaji had given him, it was a black latex suit much like his Plug Suit.  
  
"Err...Kaji, why am I-" he began.  
  
"Not now, hurry!" Kaji said taking off his shirt, under which he had a similar suit on.  
  
Shinji put the suit on and slipped on the mask that was attached to it. He looked up at Kaji who threw his outer clothing in a corner of the room and take a small object out of the backpack. Shinji watched as Kaji searched the walls until he found a small plastic square in the lower corner of the wall with the door. He took a screwdriver out of his belt and forced the plastic covering off and inside was a dozen or so wires. Shinji knelt next to Kaji.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked.  
  
"The window is fitted with a laser beam that will detect any sudden change to the glass's structure, we can't smash it without the alarms going off." Kaji replied.  
  
He handed Shinji the thing he had taken out of the bag earlier, "When i tell you to, aim at the glass and press the red button."  
  
Shinji nodded. Kaji then took out a fold-up pair of scissors and cut the two green wires on the right.  
  
"Now!" he hissed.  
  
Shinji aimed the little garage remote like thing at the glass and pressed the button, it vibrated and in a few seconds the glass shattered. Kaji took a hammer out of his bag and nicked off the few pieces of glass that still hanged on to the wall. Kaji grabbed his bag and they climbed over into the padded cell and Shinji got down next to Asuka.  
  
"Asuka! It's ok, I'm here!" he said pulling her into a hug. She gave no respond. Kaji looked over her.  
  
"Went a bit over didn't he...pure overkill, three shots..." Kaji mumbled. He took out a knife and cut open her straight jacket, took out another one of the injectors like the one he had used on Misato and squeezed something into Asuka's forearm. Then he reached into his bag and got out a blouse and a pair of shorts.  
  
"Here, she use to live with me so I still have some of her old stuff, dunno if it'll fit..." Kaji said and turned around.  
  
Shinji dressed Asuka and then told Kaji it was ok to turn around.  
  
"So now what?" Shinji asked.  
  
"That serum I gave her should bring her back in a few minutes, but we should get out of here now. I dunno how good Ikari's toys are but he should know that somethings wrong here very soon."  
  
Shinji nodded and gathered Asuka in his arms.  
  
"I should-" Kaji began.  
  
"I got her, you lead the way." Shinji said.  
  
Kaji nodded and climbed back into the visiting room and helped Shinji get Asuka over. He kissed Misato on the cheek once more and went over to the door. He listened with his ear against it for a bit then opened it a crack, he peered out and looked around.  
  
"It's clear...let's go!" he whispered.  
  
Shinji went out after him and they proceeded down the hall past the other cells again.  
  
"There'll be guards at the entrance to this hallway and at the elevators." Shinji said.  
  
"I know, don't worry." Kaji said.  
  
As they reached the entrance to the halls Kaji pressed against the wall, and Shinji tried to follow but carrying Asuka he wasn't able to Hide as well. Kaji motioned for him to stay back, he then moved up and drew a pistol from his boot, taking aim he fired a silenced shot at one of the two guards who fell like a building immediately. The other guard rushed over to check on him and Kaji put another shot in this man's back. The two guards out of the way, Shinji came up.  
  
"Did you have to kill them?" he gasped, he never liked the sight of blood.  
  
"It's them or us Shinji," Kaji said taking the guard's sidearms and spare magazines. "That's how it is."  
  
Shinji shuddered and followed Kaji through the main doors into the elevator area.  
  
"Hey you!" a guard spotted him. "Stop!"  
  
Kaji raised his new Sig 9mm and put him down. Then the guard's three other buddies came out of a room and met the same fate. Shinji poked his head around the corner of the wall.  
  
"That all of them?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, but we screwed up, they know we're here now." Kaji said.  
  
As if on cue, the Nerv speakers blared with a technician's voice.  
  
"Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Lock-down of Sections A2-L7! All non-battle personal please evacuate to Sector-01."  
  
"Damn!" Kaji said running down the next hall, "If they are commencing a total lock-down we can't get out that way!"  
  
Shinji ran after him still carrying Asuka. "The how do we get out!?"  
  
"From the looks of things, we'll need to get to the Eva cages!!" Kaji yelled back.  
  
"The Evas!? Why!?" Shinji asked.  
  
"'Cuss we'll need to smash our way out this time!" Kaji said and kicked open a grate on the side of the metal hall.  
  
"In here!" Kaji said.  
  
Shinji put Asuka down next to the opening and crawled in, then he turned and taking hold of her arms pulled her in as well. Kaji got in last and put the grate back in place. He took out another Sig and handed it to Shinji.  
  
"Here, from here on, we'll have to be really careful." he said.  
  
Shinji took the gun reluctantly. "I don't want to use this..." he said.  
  
Kaji looked intently at him. "When the time comes Shinji, if you don't pull the trigger, you will die, or Asuka will, do you understand!?"  
  
Shinji shook his head and tucked it into his belt. He began to carefully drag Asuka through the ventilation ducks.  
  
"Which way?" he asked.  
  
Kaji looked around them and then pulled out a small PDA from his pack.  
  
"Let see...we're in the vent around the main command center...we need to head east so go straight down this vent and turn left at the next possible left....then its left again and then right...we should be at the cages then."  
  
Shinji nodded and proceeded down the duck, careful not to hurt Asuka as he dragged her.  
  
"Why isn't she back to normal yet?" Shinji asked looking at her blue eyes, which had no life in them.  
  
"It shouldn't take long..." Kaji said. "Keep moving, she should be fine before we even get out of the vents."  
  
They crawled through the vents, Kaji checking his PDA and eventually they reached a grill. Peering out Shinji saw the massive form of Eva Unit-01 through the holes.  
  
"We're here!" he hissed.  
  
Kaji nodded. Shinji took out the Sig Kaji had given him and kicked the grill out and slid out of the tube, it was a five feet drop to the catwalk below and there were two guards at the right end of it. As they turned to see what made the noise Shinji dropped to the floor and shot at them, one of them was hit and as he screamed he tumbled over the small railing and fell down to the bottom of the cages, which was a good 40 stories bellow.  
  
As Shinji and the other guard recovered from the shock, the guard aimed his AK-47 at Shinji but a bullet went through his goggles and out the back of his head before he could make a move. Shinji turned and saw Kaji halfway out of the vent, smoking gun in hand. Shinji shoved his gun back in his belt and went under him. Kaji crawled back in a bit and gently moved Asuka out and Shinji caught her as she fell out. Kaji followed and they raced down the walkway with Kaji in the lead, two pistols out shooting down the guards around the cages. As they got to Unit-01 a bullet narrowly missed Kaji's head, hitting the steel beam next to it. They looked up and saw Commander Ikari with around twenty fully armored Section-2 agents around him.  
  
"Congratulations on your great escape Mr. Kaji," he said. "But it stops here, put down your weapons or prepare to die."  
  
Kaji threw away one of his Sigs and pulled a grenade off his belt.  
  
"Looks like a standoff Ikari." he said.  
  
"Oh?" Gendo sneered. "And what do you have to bargain with Kaji? I don't care about the girl and even if you give her up you are still going to the brig. I on the other hand, have your life in my hands."  
  
"Ah..but Ikari, you need him." Kaji said gesturing at Shinji.  
  
"I can get replacement pilots...pilots who follow orders, pilots who do not shoot up the place while attempting pathetic rescue attempts." Gendo said.  
  
"Pilots who can move Unit-01?" Kaji smirked.  
  
"Any trained pilot can pilot an Evangelion, regardless of which Evangelion it is." Gendo replied.  
  
"You sure about that Ikari?" Kaji taunted. "Go ahead, pop our heads, let see what becomes of your plan if the only person capable of operating your most important chess piece is dead!"  
  
Gendo said nothing.  
  
Kaji turned a little to the left and whispered to Shinji. "Get her outta here now!"  
  
"But-" Shinji said but Kaji yelled. "Now!"  
  
Shinji turned and ran with Asuka still in his arms for Unit-01's Entry Plug.  
  
"Stop him!" Gendo yelled.  
  
The Section-2 men began firing at Shinji but Kaji threw the grenade at them, causing them to scatter and Gendo to retreat into the Command Center.  
  
"Stop the launch!" he yelled but there was on one in the room, they had evacuated like the PA had ordered.  
  
"Damn!" Gendo said and looked around the controls in front of him.  
  
"I...I can't shut it off!" he yelled pounding the keyboard with his fist.  
  
Shinji had gotten into the plug and activated it. As the automatic procedure of inserting the pug into the Eva was performed it filled up with LCL. Once fully inserted Eva Unit-01 came to life. Shinji pulled the hand controls and the Eva broke free of the locks that secured it. Shinji then turned to Kaji.  
  
"Hop on!" he yelled through the com as he held the Eva's hand out.  
  
Kaji was about to jump on when a shot went through his leg. He fell back down on the catwalk. He and Shinji looked up to see Gendo in the door way to the Command Center. His 9mm in hand.  
  
"Noo!" Shinji said.  
  
Gendo smiled and pushed a red button next to the wall. The main catapult's tubes began to close up.  
  
"Shinji! Go now or you'll be trapped!" Kaji yelled.  
  
"What about you!?" he yelled.  
  
"Forget me, just tell Misato if you have the chance that I-"  
  
He was stopped by another shot entering his body, this time his chest.  
  
"KAJI!!" Shinji screamed.  
  
He looked over at his father.  
  
"YOU BASTARD!!" he yelled. "I SWEAR! FROM THIS DAY ON YOU ARE NO FATHER OF MINE!!"  
  
Gendo ran back inside as Eva Unit-01's fist destroyed the door and the wall around it. Shinji looked down at Kaji's body and picked it up gentally in Unit-01's hand, then he hurried over to the last Catapult and activated the manual release, sending Eva-01 up and out of Nerv, into the city. The minute Unit-01 reached street level Shinji turned and made for the deep mountain forest near Tokyo-Three.  
  
A/N: Ah, Kaji our hero eh? What about poor Misato eh? Asuka, Shinji and now her Kaji-boy. Who next? Pen-Pen!? (Pen-Pen quivers in fear under the table.) outta there, I won't hurt you...OUCH! THE DAMN THING BIT ME!!....Anyway...gotta go patch this up...and then write the next chapter...later. 


	22. Tears in the Wind

Meant for One Another  
  
A/N: Eva Unit-U productions is proud to present to you, Chapter 22! Contrary to popular belief, I am not dead, arrested, or otherwise missing. Now, is the beginning of the end, I estimate an ending to this fic in around two or three chs tops. Sorry about another late chapter. I just got a job and my school work load is increasing. Also I'm trying to film something with some friends in my spare time so...yeah. Also, about the pictures, frankly I've just been putting off editing the site, but rest assured, there are pics for the latest chs so I'll eventually get around to putting them up. Whew...I'm starting to feel that I was a bit hard on ST Pika when he didn't update....  
  
Disclaimer: Eva is not mine...Eva is not mine...Eva is not mine...  
  
Gendo Ikari looked over the empty Command Center, most of the alarms were ringing and there was flashing lights everywhere, he stood in the center of the room glancing at the damage done by Eva 01 from the window. He grinned.  
  
"Very soon..."  
  
Deep in the forest, in a valley hidden by the surrounding mountains, Shinji Ikari put the last stone on top of a pile he had in front of him, finished, he stood up and glanced at his work. In front of him was a pile of rocks, and a roughly made wooden cross at the top. He then knelt down and patted the cross.  
  
"Thank you for everything Kaji...you go on and rest now..."  
  
(Asuka's POV)  
  
Asuka walked into a large stage.  
  
'Huh...where am I? Last thing I remember I was arrested by the Commander...'  
  
Asuka took a step then stopped. Her ears pricked up and she heard something.  
  
Someone was playing the cello somewhere...  
  
"Hello? Is anyone there?" she asked.  
  
There was no answer.  
  
She walked deeper into the stage, toward the back. Soon she neared a door, she knocked.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
The music stopped.  
  
"Asuka..." a whisper came through the door.  
  
"Shinji? Shinji is that you!?" she yelled back.  
  
"Asuka...why have you left me?" the whisper said again  
  
"What are you talking about!?" she asked, now trying to open the door.  
  
"Asuka...I can't see you....."  
  
"ARGH!" she kicked open the door and saw Shinji dangling from the ceiling, just like her mother.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Having 'buried' Kaji, Shinji went over to the Evangelion, now on its back and covered with all kinds of greens and mud to hide it from helicopters, laying near it in a crudely made camp was Asuka. Shinji took a water bottle out of the bag Kaji had and knelt down next to Asuka, lifting her head up in his arm he tipped some water in her mouth and eased her head back to help her swallow it, careful to avoid chocking her. Looking down at her face he couldn't help but sob.  
  
"Damnit Asuka, please wake up." he begged.  
  
"How will I live without you?" he whispered as tears slowly trickled down his cheek.  
  
"Who's gonna tell me that I'm a useless baka? Who's gonna watch the sunsets with me? Who's gonna challenge me to Street Fighter and then make me do anything you ask after being beaten six times straight?"  
  
He sniffed.  
  
"Who am I going to love? And Who's going to love me!?"  
  
One of his tears dripped down his chin and onto Asuka's right eyelid.  
  
(Asuka's POV)  
  
"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT SHINJI TOO!!!"  
  
She collapsed on the floor and screamed, she screamed and cried until her own ears were ringing.  
  
"noo....not him...not this...why...."  
  
Then the door behind her disappeared.  
  
She looked around her, everything was growing dim, and soon the room, Shinji's body, and everything else went black. Asuka was surrounded in total darkness.  
  
"w-What's happening..?"  
  
She no longer had a sense of direction, up, down, forward, backwards were all confused. All she could feel is a floating sensation as her yellow sun-dress blew lightly around her.  
  
"I'm scared..."  
  
She looked around in the darkness, hoping to catch a glimpse of something.  
  
"I'm scared...please...help me...Shinji...mama...anyone......"  
  
She curled up and cried into her knees.  
  
"Sir, Angel!" a NERV officer yelled.  
  
Hours after Shinji's escape with Asuka and Unit-01 Gendo had restored order to the base and ordered no information about the incident leave HQ. He was alerted that Misato Katsurigi was found knocked out in the ward that housed Asuka and demanded a report from her as soon as she woke up. Now, seconds after getting back into the main control room he received this news.  
  
"Prepare Rei and Unit-00, intercept target within city limits!" he barked.  
  
The base scrambled to get these orders carried out and to prepare for the Angel. The JSSDF was alerted and VTOLs, tanks, and artillery were dispatched to the intercept zone.  
  
Rei was sitting at home, reading a book when the call came. She put the book down and left for NERV, on the cover of the book was "PLATO".  
  
In half an hour Rei was being inserted into Unit-00. As the controls before glowed to life Gendo appeared on her right screen.  
  
"Rei, do your best."  
  
"Hai..."  
  
She took the controls and then her Eva was launched into the city above, once outside a weapons building provided her with a positron shot-rifle. She took up position and waited for the Angel.  
  
She did not have to wait long...  
  
"Target floating above Oowakudani Valley, revolving at a fixed position." an officer reported to Ikari.  
  
" Target's AT Field is still active."  
  
"From pattern blue to orange, rotating fast."  
  
"Rei, attack." Gendo ordered.  
  
Rei answered by taking three shots at the Angel that was a ring of spinning light in the air. After three shots it broke of and turned into a ribbon, which flew at Unit-00 and struck it in the middle of Unit-00's abdomen.  
  
"Target physically contacted to Unit Zero." Shingeru said from his station.  
  
"What about Unit-00's AT Field?" Fuyuzuki asked.  
  
"Developing, but being penetrated."  
  
"Oh my god..." Ritsuko said, having arrived a minute ago, "That Angel is attempting first level contact with Unit Zero?"  
  
"Danger! Unit Zero's bioparts are being penetrated!" Maya yelled.  
  
As she saw the Angel coming she tried to duck out of the way but she was too slow, she whimpered as the pain of something digging into her stomach hit her. Then it went dark.  
  
(Rei's POV)  
  
She opened her eyes to see another Rei staring back at her, she was in the middle of a pool of LCL.  
  
"What? Me? Am I inside Eva? No, I feel someone else than me. Who are you? Angel? The being that we call Angel?"  
  
"Don't you want to be united with me?" the other asked.  
  
"No. I am me, not you." Rei said.  
  
"Hmm, but you shall. It's too late, I gave you part of my mind, I gave you this emotion. Pain, see, your mind is in pain." her counterpart said.  
  
"Pain? no, something different. Loneliness. Yes. lonely." Rei whispered.  
  
"Lonely? I don't understand." the other Rei blinked.  
  
"You hate being alone? We are many, though you hate being alone. That's called loneliness." Rei stated.  
  
"That's your mind. Full of sadness. That's your mind." the other Rei said.  
  
Rei looked down.  
  
"These are tears...am I the one that is crying...?"  
  
"Rei!" Gendo yelled.  
  
Rei snapped back into reality.  
  
"I-I.." she grunted from the pain. "I will not allow you to...defeat me...Ikari-kun...will be in danger..."  
  
"What's she saying?" Ritsuko asked no one in particular.  
  
"AT-Field reversed, being penetrated at once!" Maya said.  
  
"Is she trying to contain the Angel!?" Fuyuzuki gasped.  
  
"This is my mind...which wishes to be one with Ikari-kun..."  
  
"Rei! abandon the Unit and escape!" Gendo yelled.  
  
"No, If I abandon Unit-00, the AT field will cease to exsist...so, I will not escape."  
  
She turned around in her chair, as the veins began popping up all over her body, she reached for the self-destruct lever behind the pilot's seat.  
  
"The core is collapsing, breaking through the critical point." Maya said.  
  
"REI!" several people yelled from the control room, "Don't do it!"  
  
Rei collapsed back into her seat, she glanced at the Angel through her screen and she smiled a grim smile.  
  
"Goodbye, Ikari-kun...too bad Asuka...got there first...." a tear fell down her cheek.  
  
Then Unit-00's core imploded, destroying everything within a three mile radius, including the Angel.  
  
"REI!!" Gendo gasped.  
  
(Asuka's POV)  
  
Asuka remained in her position, crying the time away when something dripped onto her head. She looked up and something dripped onto her forehead. She stopped and lifted a finger and wiped it across her eye, she held the finger up to her face. She recognized the scent.  
  
"That's....a tear?"  
  
"Who's going to love me!?" she heard from above her.  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
"SHINJI!"  
  
Asuka opened her eyes, at first things were a bit blurry but as her eyes focused, she could make out Shinji's head buried in her neck/chest, sobbing gently. She lifted her left hand and rested it on his back.  
  
"Don't cry..."  
  
"ASUKA!" he yelled looking up.  
  
He grabbed her and lifted her up into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"Asuka...you had me so worried...." Shinji said, his tears still streaming, but now in joy and relief instead of sorrow.  
  
"Shinji...I love you...." Asuka whispered as she stroke his back.  
  
"I love you too Asuka." Shinji responded, running a hand through her hair.  
  
A/N: WAFF meter just went up two levels...whooo...anayway...thats all for now, sorry if it was a bit rough or 'crappy', I'm a bit off right now. Leave me a review and hope I don't pick up on ST Pika's three month ch update routine. 


	23. Chaos is the word

A/N: Hello again! It certainly has been a while, I haven't touched this account since April of '04 and now here we stand at the middle of '07, a full three years hiatus. Most likely this story has been pushed so far back on the listing few of you will remember me, but for those of you that do, yes, I am back. In three years, I have studied and learned much, passed trials and errors, and have come full swing, and find myself once again looking back at the past. Eva is an intense series, and truly an enjoyable one, and I have never stopped being a fan of it, but for a while, that magical feeling that pushes your hand and sets the pen to paper (or these days, keyboard) was lost to me, and I left this story unfinished, although I started out with a clear ending in mind. Now after three years, an aspiring scriptwriter, I again pick up my pen, proverbial or not, I intend to finish what I set out to start, a love story about two of my favorite characters, that, although may be lacking in skill, will at least be enjoyable to read, for all fans of Evangalion, Shinji, Asuka, and true romance. With that brief statement, I officially announce the continuation of this fic, to its ending.

* * *

Chapter 23: Chaos is the word at hand. 

Disclaimer: Really, after all this time, nothings changed. I still don't own anything about Eva.

* * *

"Asuka…?" 

She looked up from burying her face in the warmth of Shinji's chest, he had mastered his tears and smiled lovingly down at her face, she was still sobbing like a child, and he held her face gently and brushed aside her tears with his thumbs.

"Kaji…gave his life…for us…. It's not….respectful to his memory…to dwell on tears…." Shinji said. "…instead…we should make sure…we live a life, worthy of his memory."

"What…do you…mean?" Asuka's bright blue eyes widened slightly, she thought she knew what Shinji was getting at, but if it was true then it was a shock.

"Asuka…I never want us to be apart…never….please…will you….lower yourself to marrying a fool like me?" Shinji asked, his smile became slightly nervous, but none less genuine.

Asuka pulled back slightly from him, stunned, for a moment Shinji read her incorrectly, and thought she was horrified at the idea, hurt and discouraged, he quickly attempted to pass it off as a joke but Asuka sealed his mouth shut with a deep kiss.

"Stupid stupid stupid!" Asuka cried even as her lips were locked with his. "How could you think I'd refuse!? You already belong to me Shinji! Body and soul, marriage is just an official, legal final step! You can't get out of this Shinji, I guess I really will have to settle myself for marrying someone so stupid."

Shinji was elated, he leaped up with amazing stamina, with Asuka still on top of him, for a moment she screamed out of fear of falling, but Shinji's arms were safely under her, holding her up securely.

"I'd never let you fall Asuka." Shinji said sincerely.

Asuka put her arms around his neck and snuggled up close to his chest.

"I've never felt safer Shinji-chan…" she said quietly, a huge satisfied smile on her face.

Gendo walked through the ruins of the Unit-01 cage with what seemed like cold indifference on the outside, but on the inside, the man was struggling with two different emotions, anger, and complete failure to grasp his son's foolish decision. How far did the little imbecile think he could escape with a 60 foot bio-mechanical battle machine before he was spotted?

He stopped before the doors that had been crushed by Unit-01's fist, Shinji had tried to kill him, bravery and determination Gendo did not think his son had in him.

"I underestimated you boy…" he said to himself.

"No…you underestimated the human variable in the equation."

He didn't even bother to turn his head, he knew that voice, and though surprised, the Commander characteristically never showed it.

"How long have you been there Doctor?" Ikari asked.

Ritsuko didn't answer that question, but stepped from behind a half fallen support beam with a cigarette between her lips. Gendo didn't seem to find her silence unusual, and answered her first statement.

"I've been working on nothing but the human equation, you of all people should-" he began but Ritsuko cut him off unexpectedly.

"The human equation….body, mind, soul, if my mother's creation the MAGI, has taught me anything…is the unreliability of human actions to be predicted. Logic, instinct, chaos, you have been looking at humans under a microscope Gendo, and see only logic, it's a chess game to you, but humans will not easily be manipulated like pawns."

"Humans need only forceful coercion to do as they're told." Gendo replied coldly.

"Your son chose to escape from you, however futile such an action is, such illogical defiance must be beyond your scope of understanding…he who has no heart." Ritsuko laughed unpleasantly.

"I have no need for a heart." Gendo said and walked away as if they had done nothing more but talk about the weather.

"So says the man who wants the whole world to be destroyed so he can see his wife again…" Ritsuko said bitterly. "He would choose that dead bitch over me…"

Misato knew that Shinji was headed for the mountains, and that JSSDF VETOLs would have no chance finding Unit-01 at night, Kaji would be smart enough to hide the thing under overgrowth….but then there was those persistent rumors back at base…about how the commander had shot and killed Kaji as he escaped….no. She couldn't believe it, Kaji couldn't die, he was too good! He had been through worse, and always managned to come back and bug her.

"You stupid…arrogant…bastard!" Misato sobbed as she tore her car down the dirt road leading to the mountains. "You owe me a drink! Don't you dare be dead!!"

Shinji stepped out from the makeshift camp, still putting on his pants and buttoning up his shirt, inside, Asuka slept soundly under some blankets, her clothing was in a pile in the corner. To say the night events came quickly and surprisingly would have been an understatement, this was by no means how Shinji ever envisioned he would lose his virginity, but he found himself greatly relieved by the discovery that Asuka had been a virgin as well. He felt ashamed that he had thought otherwise, but her flaunting nature and number of boyfriends back in Germany had made Shinji quite nervous about the issue.

It had been Asuka's idea, it was snuggling like usual, but it progressed rapidly, and before Shinji knew what was happening she was tearing at his pants like a hungry animal.

"Maybe we should wait!?" Shinji had cried.

"We may not have a tomorrow Shinji!" Asuka had said with a furious look. "Kaji is dead, and we could easily have been, we face danger around us everyday, and now NERV is after us as well. I wish to god you and I have forever, but I'm not taking chances, even if I die tomorrow, I'm sure as hell going to make sure I give you _this_ before I go!"

The rest was a blur to Shinji, but he was quite sure it had been bliss, even though he distinctly remember Asuka hitting him unnecessarily in her excitement.

As he sat down to get a feel of the refreshing evening wind, he heard the roar of a car engine and became alert and fearful, could they have been found!?

He was halfway up to wake Asuka when he thought he recognized that distinct purr, then he spotted the blue blur that passed through the trees.

"Misato!" Shinji cried, and hurried to wave her down.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for _**all**_ reviews so far, ever piece of it. By now, I have come to understand that even negative remarks are remarks nonetheless, and probably exist for a reason. And we can improve our work based on those shared thoughts. Good catch on those grammar mistakes and etc, thanks for the advice and offers. As for the site, I've gone through so many reboots since I made that site my Eva pics folder is way too large and unorganized to try and sort out the original pics, and I doubt I will have the time to move the site to better hosting at freewebs any time soon, but its something to keep in mind. (by the way, I really don't get the site's new chapter update and edit functions, they're so complex and unreliable these days!) 


	24. Ode To Joy

A/N: Hmmmm, bit rusty getting back into the mill of things...when I first wrote this I could come up with the lesser character's names and geographical location names so easily...now I have to look back on extensive Eva references just to remember certain details. Oh well..it's to be expected, three years _is_ a long time...

Chapter 24: Ode to Joy

Disclaimer: I'd thought the last 23 disclaimers were enough...

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"You are our last hope for achieving salvation." Keel Lorenz's holographic appeared where the image of the black monolith labeled 'SEELE 01' had been.

Around him in the dark hall that SEELE used for meetings, the other monoliths remained their ambiguous selves, only Keel revealed himself to their object of discussion, the pale silver haired boy that stood calmly in the middle of the room.

"Despite Ikari's interference, you can still succeed." Keel looked down at the boy.

"I understand chairman Lorenz." the boy said respectfully and withdrew.

"Let Ikari know the Fifth Child is departing for NERV to take over operation of Unit-02." Keel ordered.

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"Sir.." Fuyutsuki looked worried as he leaned forward next to the commander to talk to him.

"Relax Kozo, I know the boy is a Trojan horse, but there is no godsend as good as a trap you already know about, and thusly have prepared for." Gendo smirked from his place in his seat, leering over his desk contemplatively as usual.

"But still. If he-" Fuyutsuki began but Gendo interrupted.

"Let those outdated old fossils do what they will, this game was mine before we even started." Gendo stood up. "We still haven't found that disobedient boy of mine have we? Nor Unit-01?"

"No sir, the densely covered mountains are a good bet, but our helicopters cannot see much from the air, a ground unit to cover the mountain would be impractical if not impossible." Fuyutsuki answered.

"Hmmmm..." Gendo headed towards the door. "Take over here Kozo, I have an appointment with the doctor."

"Are we on the third one now?" Fuyutsuki asked, his mind wandering to the image of that solemn looking blue haired child.

Gendo did not answer as he passed through the doors, and Fuyutsuki merely walked over to the windows of the office and look out towards the green lush mountains.

"Yui..."

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As dawn fell on Tokyo-3, Misato sat near the remains of the campfire, opposite Shinji, who still held Asuka protectively in his arms as she slept, using his lap as a pillow.

"Misato..."

The woman looked up, her eyes were a bit red from her own crying, Shinji had explained that happened after she was knocked out, and she grieved for Kaji, no matter what she may have said to him, or anyone else about how much she despised him, from his stubby beard to his attitude, the truth was she deeply loved the man, and she had ran off into the forest for a few hours to herself.

"We can't stay here forever, I want to get Asuka somewhere safe..." Shinji said, looking down at his sleeping girlfriend's face as he stroked her fiery red hair. "I think we should split up, I'll go back to NERV to surrender with Unit-01, when father pulls off the search, take Asuka to Class Rep Hikari's home, she can take care of Asuka, and hide her."

"That's crazy Shinji!" Misato cried. "Even ignoring the fact that your father would most likely have you executed for what you did, Asuka would have ME executed if she found out I let you walk to your death without her."

Shinji smiled slightly.

"We will not be able to leave this forest now. When you arrived the search has not penetrated as deeply, and you were under cover of darkness. It is now dawn, and we cannot afford to sit here for a whole day waiting for sunset. Asuka needs rest and food in a better environment. Hikari-sama is Asuka's best friend and can help us, but to get to her house, we will need to follow my plan." Shinji set Asuka down gently on the ground and stood up.

"I'll put Asuka in your car, drive into the forest away from Unit-01. I'll take Unit-01 up and head back towards NERV, the search will follow me, when they leave, you take the other way and get Asuka to Hikari's."

"If it is only Unit-01 they want..." Misato racked her brains.

"If we allow them to find it here, they will converge on the spot and we'll never escape even by your car." Shinji shook his head. "And once I activate Unit-01, I'll be spotted as it rises well above the tree line, the only way to get them off your tail is to head the other way, back towards NERV, and once I do that. I will not be able to escape from Unit-01 unnoticed. We have no other choice."

Misato was quiet for a moment as she looked for other options and tried to see a better way, but resigned herself in the end,

"You've thought long and hard about this haven't you Shinji-kun?" Misato sighed.

"Asuka was sleeping, and there was only the fire to tend to." Shinji smiled. "I was bored, and stroking the fire tends to make you think."

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As per their plan, Misato and Shinji placed the sleeping Asuka in the passenger seat of Misato's Renault and she sped away from the site, deeper into the trees.

Shinji hopped into the entry plug and activated the Eva, and as soon as he rose up, the JSSDF saw him and attacked with their VETOLs.

With his AT-Field and armor plating, Shinji paid them no attention and simply walked the Eva back to Nerv, where the JSSDF was called to stand down by Gendo.

"What are you doing?" Gendo said on the Eva's com-link without pretense of greeting his son.

"I came to return the Eva." Shinji lied.

"Foolish boy, you came hoping your distraction will get the JSSDF forces to follow your trail and abandon the empty forest, thus allowing the Second Child to flee, I see she is not with you. Such a childish plan, but you are in luck, I am after Unit-01, and care nothing for that useless girl. Now exit the Eva and surrender or I will cut my way in there!"

"Damn you..." Shinji had Unit-01 enter the hole in the hanger he had made the previous day, and locking clamps were placed all over the Eva, Gendo waited for Shinji with a full compliment of soldiers, the moment Shinji stepped down Gendo delivered a blow to his head that knocked the boy to the floor, clutching a bleeding nose.

"Damned child! Lock him up!" Gendo spat to his men.

Shinji found himself roughly thrown into a detention cell at NERV, he leaned back against the steel wall and closed his eyes, and hoped Misato and Asuka had managed to escape.

"Ah...so you are the Third Child...Shinji-kun...?"

Shinji's eyes flew open and he looked out of the bars, a boy in the same school uniform as him stood at the bars, hands in pockets, a big friendly smile on his face.

"Errr...yes..and you are?" Shinji asked, staring at his silver hair.

"Nagisa, Kaworu Nagisa." the boy smiled. "But you can call me Kaworu...Shinji-kun."

Shinji mumbled a "nice to meet you" as he didn't quite know what to say, the boy was strange, though in a way that was more curious than offensive. There was an instant feeling Shinji sensed, that seemed to bridge them together much closer and easier than other people.

"I heard about your escapade...why go through the trouble?" Kawrou asked curiously.

"I would do anything for Asuka." Shinji said firmly.

"The Second Child...? Is she special to you?" Kawrou asked gently, his tone seemed to suggest that he was very interested and happy to know that they were in love, which is the only reason Shinji answered it instead of being offended by the personal question.

"Very much so, I love Asuka more than anything else." Shinji said, even the mention of it made his heart warmer and lighter, even in the dark prison cell.

"Ah love..." Kawrou closed his eyes and smiled thoughtfully. "I can sense it Shinji-kun, your feelings...your love...love is man's greatest ability and gift, one that is underappreciated and underused."

Kawrou leaned against the wall in front of the bars to Shinji's cell and began humming casually, after a few lines Shinji asked him what the song was.

Kawrou smiled at Shinji and uttered a few verses.

"Be embraced, ye millions!  
This kiss for the whole world!  
Brothers, beyond the star-canopy Must a loving Father dwell.  
Be embraced,  
This kiss for the whole world!  
Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,  
Daughter of Elysium,  
Joy, beautiful spark of the gods"

"I don't recognize it." Shinji said apologetically.

"It is one of the highest achievements of man ranking alongside Shakespeare's Hamlet and King Lear." Kawrou said fondly and looking up reminiscently. "This man, Beethoven, put into his music the very essence of his soul...his celebration of love for mankind."

Kawrou turned back towards Shinji.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. Love your fellow man Shinji-kun, love them unconditionally and all embracing."

Shinji stared confused at Kawrou, who simply smiled as if he had never expected Shinji to understand on the first time.

"Just as I love you..."

A/N: Argh, I hate this new way of uploading your stories, it always ends up unformatted and the paragraphs get meshed together so unsightly! I haven't figured out how to do it right yet and am forced to uses lines to seperate paragraphs, so I beg you all to bear with me for the time being. And in case anyone was wondering, I'm of the faction that believes there to be no homosexuality on Kawrou's part, but that his love refers to divine love. Just as Jesus' love for man made him martyr himself for the sins of man, so did Kawrou.


	25. That strange boy

Meant for One Another ch 25

Disclaimer: (XX)

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Asuka was missing, so was Misato Katsuragi, Rei was dead, Unit 00 destroyed, Unit 01 under lockdown, and Shinji was locked up in the brig, naturally the many personnel of Nerv were eagerly swapping rumors and stories. 

"I heard the First Child is still alive! Kira swears she saw the commander with her in the infirmary."

"Is it true Misato-sama is involved with the Third Child's plans? Is that why she's not here?"

"If she is she had better not come back or the commander will make mincemeat of her!"

"But he hasn't said anything about her! When Ikari, Soryu, and Kaji fled he sent around detailed memos regarding the incident and to be on guard in case they show up, but I've gotten nothing about the Colonel."

"That's true…"

* * *

Kaworu Nagisa was walking down a hallway quietly, albeit cheerfully, well at least he was smiling, and humming a tune to himself as he strode through the bland metal hall with his hands in his pockets. 

"Here we are…" he stopped and turned to a door, he slid an ID card through a keypad embedded in the wall next to it and it opened.

He headed inside, it was dimly lit, but he could easily see the bright red paint of Eva Unit-02's armor beyond the catwalk he was on, the large machine was standing motionless in its cradle, a certain air of emptiness clung around it, as if something was missing, but one couldn't exactly say what.

Kaworu headed to the center of the catwalk and stared up at it, a look of mild interest or light boredom on his face.

"I suppose…this is it."

He held out his right hand, up towards the Unit's face, and its four eyes glowed to life.

"So compliant…your soul must be dormant right now….who is it…? ……….yes….the mother of….the girl….the girl Shinji-kun loves….hmmm…." Kaworu mused to himself, then shrugged.

"So be it." He leaped gracefully onto the shoulder of the Unit and sat down.

Eva-02 broke out of its docking restraints, and gave a mighty roar, then on Kaworu's instructions, began tearing its way towards the carven below the Nerv building.

* * *

"Commander we have a problem!" the officer almost spilled his coffee as he put down his mug and leaped into his console seat and began typing away. 

"Report." Gendo said curtly, having just arrived at the command center.

"It's…not an attack…I don't think…it came from inside. A disturbance in Eva Unit-02's holding cage, explosion."

"Sir." Another officer chipped in. "Geometric readings indicates something big is moving towards Terminal Dogma!"

"Unit-02." Fuyutsuki muttered from next to Gendo. "What does this mean?"

"It means we're under attack. The last Angel has come." Gendo said to him, then to the command center at large. "Mobilize all units, we are to treat this as an attack. Unit-02 is classified as in enemy hands, we are code red!"

He turned back to Fuyutsuki.

"Bring me the boy."

* * *

Shinji was sitting on the floor of his cement cell, his thoughts on Asuka and Misato's current whereabouts when the clank of his cell door being opened stirred him up. 

"Shinji Ikari, the Commander has ordered you to see him." The guard said.

"If he wants to question me or torture me…he can come down here himself." Shinji said blandly, in no mood to humor his father.

"There is an attack, the Commander has ordered you to see him for a reason. Let's go." The guard pulled him to his feet and hustled him out of the cell.

When Shinji stood before his father in the command center, the entire staff was with held breath, the tension between the two was a short fuse bomb, and who could miss the look in each other's eyes, plainly both of them wished the other nothing but ill.

"As you know, we are currently under an Angel attack." Gendo said. "As Unit-00 is gone, Pilot Ayanami is hospitalized, and Unit-02 itself is now an enemy, you and Unit-01 are all that is left."

Normally Shinji would have insulted his father about needing him now, but the fact Rei was indeed alive and Asuka's beloved Unit-02 was in danger made Shinji argue less and agree to sortie immediately.

"Good, intercept the enemy at Terminal Dogma and stop it." Gendo ordered.

* * *

When Unit-02 arrived before the huge steel doors that guarded terminal Dogma, it met with heavy resistance from ground Nerv forces, which it easily brushed aside with nothing but its fists and feet. 

Kaworu looked up at the door, never even sparing the soldiers a glance as Eva-02 followed his will and destroyed them by itself.

"Heaven's door…at last, Adam, I have returned!"

He started to rise from Eva-02's shoulder, hands in his pockets, feet dangling slightly, he floated off the Eva and moved behind it as he willed it to move to tear down the gates.

* * *

Shinji in Eva-01 was in hot pursuit of Eva-02, in near 95 synch with his Eva, and desperately pressured, Shinji guided Eva-01, on all fours like the beast it was, jumping from wall to wall down the tunnel Unit-02 had created. 

"Have you ever seen an Eva move that fast or someone control that precisely!?" Makoto Hyuga exclaimed to his fellow operator.

"Shinji's gotten a lot better hasn't he?" Shigeru Aoba said, checking his monitor. "Jesus…look at that! The kid's amazing!"

Shinji could see the bottom getting closer, and with one final leap Eva-01 landed, crouched, in the rocky ground, sinking slightly into it from the force of the leap, and gave a loud roar.

Kaworu turned around, and smiled.

"Unit One, then it's you Shinji-kun?" Kaworu said pleasantly.

"K-Kaworu!?" Shinji gasped. "B-but why!? How!?"

"Have you not guessed yet?" Kaworu closed his eyes and lowered his head as he smiled, then looked up at Shinji directly. "I am Tabris, the seventeenth Angel."

"An Angel…? But…" Shinji was shocked, and devastated, but he didn't know why.

Something about this boy made him feel like a friend he had known all his life, despite having only traded a few sentences with him on one occasion.

"Don't worry Shinji, it's only because of your strong love for her that has opened your eyes a little." Kaworu said, his smile deepened, as if he was very proud of Shinji. "That feeling you perceive, the unexplainable emotions, that groundless and illogical love, it's simply that in your condition, you have gained the ability to look beyond the outer shell, as most people seem unable to do. And see a person deeper than…"

Kaworu chuckled.

"I would so much like to explain more, I enjoy talking with you very much Shinji-kun, but alas, I have something of an assignment to do. However, when it is over, we will all be one regardless, and then we have eternity to talk."

Kaworu started floating towards the opening in the gate Unit-02 had made.

"No! Wait!" Shinji called, and Unit-01 started after him, but Unit-02 blocked his path, knife out, ready to fight.

"No! Kaworu! WAIT!" Shinji called again.

Kaworu looked back at him, for the first time a troubled frown on his lips.

"I am sorry…"

He floated away, and Shinji had to turn his attention to Unit-02 in front of him.

"Asuka's Eva…I can't…I can't hurt it, or she'll kill me…" Shinji grinned slightly at his own little joke.

He charged, and Unit-01's hands wrapped around the wrists of Unit-02, and the match was on, both machines stood immobile, their arms shaking violently as they fought for control.

"I don't have time! Sorry Asuka!" Shinji let go of the hand that didn't hold a knife, and pulled back his own Eva's arm, and sucker punched Unit-02 across the face, as it reeled back, Unit-01 crouched down, and rushed into Unit-02's space, grabbing its knife arm, and twisted around, and hurled the red Eva over its shoulder a la jujitsu style, taking the knife in the process.

Stunned, Unit-02 was trying to orient itself and get back up, but Shinji kicked it down again hard and hurried past Heaven's Gates without wasting more time, and found Kaworu already far ahead of him, in front of something huge and white, crucified on a cross just as large as it was.

"What the..what is this…?" Shinji gasped, but even as he said so he was hurrying his Eva forward.

Kaworu had stopped in front of the giant, and stared up at it, his composure shattered, surprise all over his face.

"Lillith!? But I thought-….where is Adam!?" Kaworu gasped, looking around. "This…could this be…fate?"

Unit-01 was behind him now.

"Kaworu!" Shinji called.

"Shinji-kun…" Kaworu turned around, he looked like a man who was at ease because he had resigned himself to the inevitable.

"Kaworu….I-" Shinji was breathing hard, the adrenalin was over, he was tired, and it was starting to sink in, what he would have to do.

"Shinji, as long as I exist, I am a threat. Today, I am thwarted by fate…and perhaps I am relieved by that….still…you had best do your job." Kaworu smiled.

"I…" Shinji knew what he had to do, he could simply not afford to let an Angel remain.

Unit-01's left hand shot out and grabbed the floating Kaworu, wrapping him up tight in the large fingers up to his silver haired head.

Kaworu simply smiled up at Shinji.

"Go ahead, there's nothing to worry about Shinji-kun, far from being offended, I'd like to think that I'm being freed….and I must say, to die by your hands…I could not ask for more…"

"What's so….why do I feel like I…" Shinji lowered his head in frustration, his hands trembling on the control yolks of his Eva.

"As I have explained Shinji-kun, your feelings of love are strong, as strong as any, and it has allowed you to see the world through it as a sort of filter, you see through me, you see my all encompassing love. Because you can identify with it. Or simply put, by expanding your At-Field to encompass the one you love, you have allowed for it to open up more easily for others as well."

Shinji still wasn't sure what he meant exactly, but Kaworu simply smiled.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Shinji-kun, please never lose that love you have…"

* * *

"What's going on down there?" Gendo asked. 

"Everything seems to be quiet, but…Angel's signature is still present…Unit-01 is active, Unit-02 is deactivated…I don't see…." Aoba tried to make sense of his readings. "Wait! Angel signature just disappeared!"

"Confirmed, Angel presence as disappeared, it seems Unit-01 was successful!" Mokoto said enthsiasticly.

"That's it! That's the last Angel! We've won!" someone cheered.

Gendo said nothing as people made a fuss and behaved like children celebrating some pointless victory in a game, quietly he retired with his second in command.

"We're close…very close…"

* * *

Shinji sat back in his pilot's chair, he looked dazed, his eyes were locked onto the center screen, when Eva-01's hand was raised to its face, and it was completely covered in blood. 

Shinji made no movement, his body lay limp on the seat, as his eyes were glazed over as he stared wide-eyed at the hand.

* * *

A/N Again, still having trouble with this new ff dot net upload process...it erases all paragraphs and I'm reduced to using those unsightly black boarders to separate them! I apologize. If anyone has any advice on it, it'd be much appreciated thanks! - And oh, good news, I've taken a leaf out of some other writers' books and wrote the ending, and am working towards it. And it's a better system, to have a clear ending point to work towards. Anyway, see you next time. 


	26. Choice

Meant for One Another

Ch 26: Choice

Disclaimer: The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

* * *

In a darkened room, twelve holographic monoliths faded into existence, each representing one of twelve men who have been playing god with humanity for decades. The secret organization known as SEELE had called an urgent meeting, this time without an invitation to Gendo Ikari.

"It has happened, the last Angel has been confirmed to have been eliminated, now we move into the final phase of our plans." Member 04 said from behind his facade.

"Or it would be…if Ikari had not blundered so as to lose the sacred lance!" 07 spat.

"It was not so much blunder as sabotage." 01 spoke, the monolith disappeared, replaced by the image of an old grey haired man with various cybernetic implants that allowed him to function despite his handicaps. Keel Lorenz, the head of SEELE.

"Gentlemen, I believe I speak for everyone here when I say I feel we have reached a parting of the ways with Ikari. He has been a constant thorn in our side, he has been subverting our goals for his own selfish ambitions, he has both Adam and Lilith in his hands, this cannot be! We must reclaim these crucial pieces of the project and begin the ascension of mankind!"

"Agreed!" they cried.

"This is executive order 106." Lorenz's brows, still visible above his visor, furrowed as he spoke. "NERV special protected status is hereby revoked, NERV and all its assets, physical and otherwise is to be immediately transferred under SEELE. The JSSDF is to secure and sterilize NERV headquarters without hesitation. Order the launch of the nine completed Mass Production Evangelions!"

The other members grunted agreements before disappearing, leaving Lorenz's hologram alone in the room.

"Überm Sternenzelt richtet Gott, wie wir gerichtet…" he mused, then faded away.

At the Horaki residence, Misato sat beside a futon laid out on the floor of the living room, watching over Asuka, tucked inside it, sleeping quietly.

Hikari came back into the room from the kitchen, and offered Misato a cup of hot tea which she accepted with a thanks before Hikari knelt beside her friend and sighed.

"She must be tired…to have slept through the trip and then being moved…" Hikari smiled at her friend's unladylike traits.

"Thank you so much Hikari-chan." Misato said, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh of relief. "Asuka is so lucky to have a friend like you…"

"Don't mention it Misato-san." Hikari gave a small smile, then turned back to her friend and her expression saddened. "What has happened? She was so well last time I saw her, she seemed happy…with Shinji-kun."

"Something happened at Nerv…I'm so sorry…I can't say much…" Misato looked down at her cup.

"It's alright, I understand." Hikari took a bottle of water and gently tipped a little into Asuka's mouth.

"Where is Shinji-kun by the way?" Hikari asked.

"He…he had to go to NERV, he would've stayed with Asuka no matter what, but by going he could help her more." Misato said quietly.

"Ah…" Hikari didn't press for more.

"Sir, we've suddenly lost contact with the other NERV branches…among other sudden silences from many different sites, I'm suspicious…" Fuyutsuki was reporting to Gendo in the commander's office.

"Suspicions? It has started Kozo, the old men have reached the limit of their patience, we will soon find ourselves under siege. " Gendo spoke calmly through his folded hands, his usual position at his desk.

"Then how should we-" Fuyutsuki began but Gendo cut him off.

"There's no defending against their assault, nor is there a need. They will kill everyone, which gives me more than enough time to initiate the final phase before they penetrate to the lower levels." Gendo said coldly.

"You'd use these people under you as cannon fodder to slow them down!?" Fuyutsuki demanded.

"They mean nothing." Gendo stood up and clicked a button on his table, his computer fizzled and went up in smoke, as did most of his desk and the few cabinets around his office.

"This is the beginning of the end. We've reached the final stretch, there's no time for hesitation and second guessing. Fuyutsuki, I need you to keep those fools occupied as long as possible. Send the Evas, drop N2s, make human meat shields, I don't particularly care, just give me every second."

Fuyutsuki watched as Gendo walked out of the office, headed towards the lowest bowels of NERV HQ.

"Bastard, I should not be helping one such as him…if not for Yui…" Fuyutsuki gritted his teeth, and left for the control room.

An explosion in the form of an air deployed N2 bomb dropping outside of NERV HQ sounded off the beginning of the siege. In a precise strike the JSSDF did away with NERV's perimeter defenses, allowing for their ground troops to move in.

"Anti-air countermeasures destroyed!" Shigeru Aoba yelled over his head to commander Fuyutsuki in the commander's box behind the controller's terminals. "We've lost perimeter turrets! All security personnel outside have lost contact with base, assumed KIA! We've got confirmed destruction of the EMAWP ranch and adjacent facility, the units and the horses are gone!"

"We've got breach in the Magi's firewall! We're being hacked!" Mokoto Hyuga called. "It's probably another NERV branch's Magi! No one else would have the capability!"

"Or all of them." Fuyutsuki sighed. "Stop them!"

"I….I can't…it's not just one…sir I'm reading the signatures of China, U.S., Germany, Russia, and Japan's secondary Magi units!"

"Where is Doctor Akagi!?" Fuyutsuki looked around. "We need her here!"

"We can't locate her!" Maya said. "Sir the JSSDF is advancing to the front gates!"

"Deploy what we have at the entrances, lock down everything, fill the corridors connected the separate modules of HQ with baklite, that should slow them down." Fuyutsuki ordered.

"But the people will be trapped and isolated!" Maya Ibuki gasped.

Fuyutsuki closed his eyes for a moment.

"If we don't, they will flood in here within minutes, and the results would be the same…I'm sorry."

"Lesser of two evils…" Aoba snorted. "Aye commander."

"I wonder where Misato-sama is…?" Makoto wondered as he paused over his keyboard. "I hope she's ok…"

Down in Terminal Dogma, Gendo stood in front of the huge Angel that was crucified to an equally large cross, besides him stood a completely nude Rei, the third one he had activated.

"Now…" Gendo looked up at the giant white Angel. "Now it-"

"Hold it."

A click of a pistol cocking accompanied the voice, Gendo turned around, Ritsuko Akagi was standing behind him a pistol pointed at him, and in her other hand, what looked like a sort of remote device.

"Ritsuko, what are you doing?" Gendo asked.

"You bastard…I've been a fool…a willing fool…" Ritsuko had a smile on her face, but it wasn't a normal one, the look in her eye was a subtle hatred mixed with the potential for a violent explosion.

"I never forced you into anything." Gendo said casually.

"Oh ever the technically correct!" Akagi snapped. "Of course you didn't! Just like my mother you toy with us and get us to do what you want willingly! Until our usefulness expires at least, I was a fool, my mother was a fool, but I unlike her I will take you with me!"

"Ritsuko, this is ill advised." Gendo warned.

"Shut up!" the doctor raised her hand with the remote control. "I saw what you did you sick bastard, you didn't even bother to close the door properly, and you just couldn't wait could you? Five seconds she's out of the damn tube and you were pounding that fresh piece of meat next to you!"

Rei was motionless as well as emotionless.

"I can't believed I could fool myself…we were never anything more than tools…we could never replace Yui, even this freak clone is better than us to you! Well let's see!"

She suddenly pulled the trigger, but not at Gendo, she fired at Rei, who took the bullet in her chest, just above her heart.

"Ah!" she fell, bleeding.

"Rei!" Gendo looked back at Ritsuko.

"And that's that I'm afraid." Ritsuko grinned as she keyed in a code on her remote, a loud rumbling was heard above them as well as substantial shaking in the cavern they were standing in.

"I've destroyed the clone room." Ritsuko laughed. "That bitch there is the last of her kind, and we are all going to die, right here, right now!"

She keyed in a second code, this time to activate the self destruct code she had hidden in the Magi's operating software, but an error beep shook cut her off, she looked in surprise, her code was refused.

"H-how…" she double checked the information, one of the three cores of the Magi had refused her order. The three cores were developed by her mother, using her own psyche as a template, she divided the three aspects of her person, as a scientist, as a mother, and as a woman into the three cores of the Magi; Melchior, Balthasar, and Casper respectively. Casper, which was endowed with the aspects of Naoko Akagi as a woman, had refused her daughter's order to kill her lover.

"Mother! NO!" Ritsuko cried, when she looked up she saw Gendo with a gun to her face.

She smiled in resignation.

"See you in hell..."

The gunshot echoed around the large cavern.

In the skies above Japan, huge airships were ready to deploy the Mass Produced Evas that had been built at the various branches of NERV, hooked up to a new system of 'Dummy Plugs' using Kawrou Nagisa as a template, they were under the complete control of SEELE.

"Units 5 – 13, launch now!"

One by one the chalk white Evas dropped from the bellies of the ships, in perfect formation they deployed their large avian wings one at a time, before gliding towards NERV HQ.

"Sir we're detecting incoming from the air…" Aoba said urgently. "Wait, these readings….Evas! They're sending Evangelions!"

"The Mass Productions!" Fuyutsuki could never have expected such heavy handiness. "Shinji! Shinji is still in detainment cell 07 right?"

"Yes sir."

"Inform him of the situation! Open a path for him to the hanger from his position! Hurry!"

Shinji had been depressed in his cell, brewing over his killing of Kawrou, and trying to figure out the many strange things the boy had said to him, as well as the funny feeling he kept getting from the boy, it was as if he had known him forever, like a best friend he had forgotten.

When the doors to his cell suddenly opened, he was surprised to see no one there, but the keypad by his door on the outside that also functioned as a communications terminal beeped, he saw nobody around and answered it.

"Shinji! NERV is being invaded by the JSSDF and the combined might of several other branches of NERV! They're launching Evas against us, we have only you and Unit-01 to rely on! Please hurry!" Aoba's voice said urgently.

"Is this my father's order!?" Shinji demanded.

"We don't know where he is, commander Fuyutsuki's here right now. The JSSDF are breaking down the gates, they've already killed many people, they won't stop until everyone under NERV is dead, they want to take the Evas and the Magi, you and Asuka are probably targeted for elimination as well, we need you!"

"Grrr…alright I'm going!" Shinji raced away, doors before him began to open for him and close behind him as he ran towards Unit-01's hanger. "I have to stop them…with only Unit-01…no, everybody's counting on me…Asuka..Misato, everybody…."

"Sir, they've broken through the main gates, our security forces-" Makoto said to Fuyutsuki, then paused, everyone stared at him for a moment, then he removed his headset. "The security forces have been neutralized. They are pouring in…"

Fuyutsuki nodded.

"Shinji?"

"He's getting into the entry plug, I'll begin the insertion procedure." Maya said.

"Sir…" Aoba looked up.

Everybody in the commander looked at the main viewscreen, a patchwork of security cameras, they showed the JSSDF teams rushing in, anybody they saw was mercilessly mowed down, they watched as the men and women they worked with, their friends, coworkers, for some even family were killed with uncalled for brutality by the black ops teams.

"…."

"My god…"

Shinji didn't bother to change, he clipped on his neural sync hair clips and leaped into the pilot seat of the entry plug, it slid closed and the robotic arm began to insert it into the spine of Unit-01.

"Shinji, we'll launch you immediately, right next to you a building will open up, it's got an entire cache of weapons, do what you can!" Maya said.

"Understood, I'm ready." Shinji gripped the controls.

Unit-01 was catapulted up and out of the base, exploding out of the ground, upon landing on all fours, Shinji got up and leaped behind the building Maya had indicated, and pulled out two Eva sized machine guns, turning around, he watched as the nine Mass Produced Evas began landing around him, wielding their gigantic double bladed swords.

"Ugly bastards." Shinji said. "Alright, you want a piece of me!? Come get it!"

Unit-01's eyes glowed brightly as it gave out a loud roar and began firing its machine guns at the Mass Produced Units.

The entire city of Tokyo-3 was in chaos, the evacuation order had been given just before the battle began, and people were fleeing from the heavy fighting in the direction of NERV HQ.

Hikari and her two sisters were leaving their house, Hikari and Misato had woken Asuka up and pulled her along, she was furious and demanded to know what had happened and why Shinji was gone. Her last memory was of the forest where they had been hiding. But there was no time for explanations.

"No wait! Shinji! Shinji's in trouble…" Asuka looked around desperately. "I have to go….to go…let me go!"

"I'm sure he's fine!" Hikari was more worried about getting them out of the area quickly, but a fresh explosion sounded off, and they saw in the distance Eva Unit-01 fly out of the ground.

"Shinji's inside that!" Misato gasped. "How did you-"

"He…I have to help him!" Asuka, pulled away from them and made towards NERV, determined to help Shinji in his fight.

"No! Asuka! You can't! It's too dangerous!" Hikari cried, pulling her best friend back.

"Hikari…" Asuka paused. "If you had the power to help Toji…would you have stood by? Or committed all your body and soul?"

"…I…" Hikari's eyes widened in surprise.

"I won't let Shinji go alone…I must…" Asuka turned her head to look at her friend, a soft smile on her face.

Hikari's gaze lowered, and her hands relaxed around Asuka's wrist, Asuka pulled away and turned around to face her friend.

"Thanks…for everything…if we meet again…"

"We will!" Hikari's eyes began to stream with tears. "We will! Don't you say that Asuka! I won't forgive you if you leave me too! You're my best friend! You can't!"

"I…alright." Asuka smiled. "We'll go shopping!"

Hikair laughed through her tears and seized Asuka in a hug. "Be safe. Come back…"

"Did you forget who I am?" Asuka smiled. "I'm Asuka Langley Soryu."

"Hikair, go with your family, I promise I'll get Asuka there safely!" Misato said, suddenly pumped, she stripped off her red uniform coat and pulled her pistol out from leg holster, it spun on her finger as she reached for a clip with the other hand, she stopped it in mid spin in perfect position and snapped a clip in, and cocked the hammer.

"…" Hikair hesitated, gave Asuka's hand one more squeeze, nodded at Misato and hurried off after her two sisters.

"Asuka, let's go." Misato said, turning to her.

"Right, I need to get to Unit-02." Asuka said.

"Can you-" Misato began.

"Even if I had to get outside and push to get it to move I will not let Shinji go out there by himself!" Asuka roared.

"I get it I get it!" Misato smiled, proud inside. "Then let's not waste time!"

A/N: Well I think I have this newfangled formatting business figured out somewhat, depending on how I feel, one many two more chapters. I must thank everyone again who have followed this story for so long, and I feel as if I had failed to deliver so far. But when I promise to give you all your time's worth, and when I'm finished I'll probably go back and reedit each chapter for better quality overall and grammatical and other errors etc.


End file.
